Cirque du Monstre
by Twilight Phantom Dragon
Summary: When a mysterious cirque arrives in Bellwood, a group of friends attend the show. It's all fun and games until Gwen recognizes the monster in the cage as a familiar boy from the past. When she decides to free him, nothing will ever be the same. AU, Gwevin
1. Two Worlds Meet

**Author's Notes: I've wanted to write a chapter-length Ben 10 fanfic for a long time now. Laziness and other work kept me from starting. When I finally got around to starting, I was originally going to use a different idea but then this plot bunny snuck up and jumped me. Fortunately it happened during my winter break, leaving me plenty of time to develop the story and write the first chapter. **

**Please note that grammatical errors in dialogue are there because the character is making a grammatical error, not because I am. **

**Summary: AU. The mysterious Cirque du Monstre travels the country, alluding suspicion from authorities and attracting audiences of all sorts. Its members are all freaks in one way or another: a woman with the ability to manipulate her hair, a man who has breath that can decay anything in its way, a boy who can burst into flames, and so on. One day, the cirque arrives in the small town of Bellwood and a group of friends go to see the performances. When one of the acts, a monster in a cage, turns out to be a familiar boy from the past, Gwen decides to free him from his prison. Thus begins a harrowing journey of action, evil clowns, betrayal, pain, secret deals, and love. Enter the cirque if you dare. **

**Rating: T for language, violence, and themes **

**Pairings: Gwevin, Benlie, Mike/Gwen (at the beginning) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I also don't own the quote at the beginning. **

_"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, they transform."  
_- Carl Gustave Jung

_**Chapter 1: Two Worlds Meet **_

She couldn't believe she had gotten separated from her parents especially after they had explicitly warned her not to get lost in the crowded streets of New York City. The 10 year-old had been dazzled by the large city, her young eyes busy trying to take in all the sights. A particularly bright display had caught her eye, a crowd had hustled by, and then neither of her parents was by her side.

Gwen Tennyson's green eyes scoured the crowds, looking for any trace of her mother's red hair or her father's distinct figure. But there were too many people and they were pushing past her, shoving her further and further away from her parents. She yelled out a few times, but it didn't travel far over the din of the city.

She took a steadying breath. _Okay, I just have to think rationally… I should find an open area and then plan my next move. I can go to the police station. They'll be able to help. _Of course Gwen didn't know the way to the police station, but it felt good to have a plan and she instantly began walking, no longer adrift aimlessly in the crowd.

Before she got far, a hand wrapped around her upper arm and tugged her to the side. Gwen's eyes widened in panic and she opened her mouth, but another beefy hand slammed down on her mouth. She struggled futilely in the tight grasp.

"Now, now, calm down, girlie. I ain't gonna hurt you." The man chortled, his voice deep and raspy. He pulled her further into the shadows of the alleyway, away from the lights and glamour of the populous streets. Here, her senses were assaulted by destitution, her nose stung from the odor of garbage and smoke.

"What ya got there, Henry?" Another man materialized from the shadows, drawing a cigarette from his mouth. The man's squinty eyes wandered over Gwen's body shamelessly. A thin trail of smoke fled his parted lips.

"A girlie I picked off the streets." Henry answered, retaining his steady grip despite Gwen's increased struggles.

"You know, we ain't lookin' for a girlie tonight. We need to find the punk who trashed our place. But…" The man's eyes gleamed like a shark's as he brushed a hand through his dark curls. "I can't say no to some fresh meat even if she ain't too well-developed."

Henry cackled, "Knew you couldn't resist, Edward. Let's head back to our place. It's trashed, but better than this alley. Less people around to hear the screams." Henry grinned widely, showing off his yellowed teeth.

Gwen thrashed more violently in Henry's grip, but he simply laughed. "You ain't gettin' away from me, girlie. I never let go of my prey."

She wanted to unleash her Taekwondo moves on this man and his friend, but his grip gave her no leverage to do anything. And with her mouth closed, she couldn't even try reciting any of the spells she had recently started learning. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she didn't let them loose. She refused to cry in front of the men.

They marched her through alleyways and deserted streets, going into the seedier part of the city. At first, Gwen attempted to memorize the route, but the winding nature of their travels was impossible to map out and she eventually gave up. She would just have to run randomly once she got away. If she got away.

The thought chilled her. What if she couldn't get away from them? What if this was the end of the line for her? Just as quickly as the despair rolled over her, a fixed resolve set over her. She had dealt with much worse before and she wasn't ready to give up to a pair of perverted criminals. They would release her mouth eventually and then she would make her move. A few magic words and boom! Well, she wasn't quite sure what she would do yet, but she instantly began going over the spells she knew for one that could aid her escape.

"Here we are, home sweet home." Edward announced, tossing his cigarette to the side and stamping it out. "It's a bit wrecked, but it's as good a place as any."

A bit wrecked was a large understatement. The building was a rickety two-story house that had seen better days. Its windows were boarded up and the door hung open. Inside the derelict building, furniture had been slashed, the walls were covered with scorch marks, and bottles littered the floor. There was a strong scent of beer and cigarette smoke as well as something smokier, as if there had been a fire recently. One of the walls had a gaping hole through which one could see the kitchen.

Gwen startled at the sight of a young boy, only a little older than her, standing in the kitchen. He had his back to them as he rummaged through the cupboards. _What's he doing in a place like this? He doesn't look like he was forced here… Is he one of them? _

Her latter thought proved incorrect as Edward shouted, "It's the punk!" A wicked grin stretched across his face. "We'll see how the kid likes us now."

"Yeah, he'll pay." Henry echoed Edward's sentiments with the same amount of malicious glee. Edward drew a revolver from his belt, prompting Gwen to try and yell a warning to the boy. When that didn't work, she kicked at one of the bottles lying on the ground, sending it into the wall with a clunk.

The boy turned around. He stared at them through the hole, noticed the gun, and then dived to the side, just as Edward fired. The man frowned, disgruntled, before walking warily to the door to the kitchen.

"Now, girlie, you shouldn't be helping the crook. He thrashed our house and you saw him stealin' food from us. Kid deserves to die, way I see it," Henry lectured Gwen, removing his gagging hand to reach for his own gun.

It was all the time Gwen needed. "_Ignis tangere_," she muttered the words and instantly her skin grew blazing hot.

"Ahh!" Henry let out a holler of pain, releasing his tight grip on Gwen to shake his blistered hand wildly through the air.

Gwen twisted around and ran to the door. She stopped at the frame to look back at the scene. Henry still held his red hand, yowling in pain. Her eyes drifted to the open kitchen door, reluctant to leave behind the mysterious boy. Even if he was stealing food and somehow linked to the wreckage of the place. As she stood contemplating the choice, there was a bright flash and a holler from the kitchen and the boy came charging out.

"Go!" He shouted at her.

"Hey, come back here!" Henry yelled after them, drawing his gun.

The boy, as he ran past Gwen, grabbed her wrist and tugged her along with him. There was a bang as the gun went off, but the bullet missed them both. Gwen, figuring she wouldn't be able to get out of the sprawl of alleys herself, allowed herself to be led by the boy.

As they ran, Gwen examined the boy. He had black, greasy hair and dark eyes. His skin was pale, a stark contrast with his black clothing. His clothing was dirty; his shirt torn at the sleeves, his cargo shorts blackened with dirt, and his boots caked with grime. A lock hung on his chest, swinging as he ran. He didn't look awful, but he looked nothing like any of the kids Gwen knew. There was something about him that said he had experienced more horrible things than most kids their age.

Several minutes after running, the boy explained, "I know a place we can hide. The bastards won't find us there."

She blinked in surprise at that word. Bastards. Sure, she had heard it said on the tongues of adults when they thought she wasn't around, but never from a kid her age. So what was different about this boy that he could say it without any reservation? Curiosity for the kind of life he led and how he had escaped Edward welled up in her.

"I have to get back to my parents." Gwen reminded herself just as she informed the boy. "They'll be worried that I've been gone for so long."

The boy glanced at her to assess whether she was serious before coming to a halt and releasing her. They stared at one another, dark piercing eyes into bright green eyes. Finally he glanced away and then back at her.

"Well," he started slowly, "I suppose I could help you out." Hope jumped in Gwen's heart. "I know these streets pretty well."

"That would be great!" Gwen responded brightly, feeling repentance for any bad thoughts she had harbored about him. Sure he looked a bit scary and sure he had stolen food, but he was offering to help her now. Maybe he was just a golden heart thrown into the wrong circumstances.

"But I'll need a price." The boy finished, crossing his arms with a smirk.

Gwen's shoulders dropped and she glared at the boy. The bad feelings from before returned. "I don't have any money if that's what you want."

"Your parents have money," he replied pointedly.

"So you want ransom money for me?" Gwen asked, disgust filling her tone.

"More like payment for my services." The boy shrugged. Noting her revolt, he added, "Hey, I gotta make a living some way."

Gwen considered his bargain, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings. It was night; it could take hours to wander around by herself. Not to mention, she was hungry, cold, and tired. Her eyes fell back on the smug boy.

"Fine. You have a deal."

The boy extended his hand and she took it hesitantly. They shook on it and then the boy introduced himself, "Name's Kevin Levin."

She didn't offer her name to him, not feeling like introducing herself to the deceptive boy. When she didn't give her name, he shrugged nonchalantly, "So where you stayin'?"

"Embassy Suites." Gwen answered shortly.

"Follow me." Kevin began walking and she followed after him.

The first few minutes were spent in dead silence. Despite the curiosity eating away at Gwen, she was adamant on not speaking to the boy. Not after he had requested money to help her out. No, he would take her to her parents, she would give him the money, and then they would part ways. Maybe she would even tell someone about him and they could pick him off the streets. Throw him into a correction facility or a juvenile delinquent center, wherever they sent people like Kevin.

Kevin's voice broke into her thoughts. "How'd you get away from the guy?" Gwen glanced at him and he added, "The guy who was holding you."

"I know who you meant." She didn't want to talk about her spells with him, but she had to say something. "I take taekwondo. As soon as he loosened his grip, I fought my way out."

When Kevin spoke again, he sounded impressed. "I wouldn't have guessed a kid like you able to get away from a guy like that."

"Well, I did." Irritated by the condescending way he had said 'kid', she added, "And you're a just a kid too."

"Yeah, but I've got experience in this sorta stuff." His voice was cocky again as he smirked and puffed up his chest.

"In dodging bullets and messing with other criminals?" Gwen asked, voice twisting derisively.

Kevin frowned for a second before the smirk was reinstated. "In taking care of myself. The world's a big, scary hell of a place. You have no idea what it's really like when you're living in a white picket-fence house."

Gwen ignored his gibe, not bothering to answer him. Yet her mind spun. Was he an orphan? Had he just run away from home? Had his home been unbearable? Had his parents kicked him out? Gwen couldn't imagine any of those scenarios, so different from her loving family and comfortable home, but she tried anyway.

Kevin tensed suddenly, glancing over his shoulder. "Did you hear that?" He asked, dark eyes scanning the shadows.

"No." Gwen stopped to turn around. She couldn't see any movement, but she looked warily anyway. "You sure it wasn't a cat?"

He scowled. "I can tell the difference between a cat and – Get out of the way!" The words hadn't even fully hit Gwen before the boy barreled into her, pushing them both to the filthy ground. There was a loud bang; a bullet flew through the place she had been standing.

Gwen felt cold all over. She had been so close to getting hit, but Kevin had helped her. He had shoved her out of the way before the bullet could rip through her and extinguish her life. Even though he had probably only done it for the cash, she felt gratitude towards the boy.

"Come on, get up." Kevin grabbed her hand and pulled her off the grimy ground.

"You ain't going nowhere." Henry muttered, walking out from the shadows. He held his gun out in front of him, pointing the tip from Kevin to Gwen to Kevin again. "After what you did to Edward."

Kevin smirked. "Really? I thought it was an improvement."

"Kevin, now's not the time to be joking around." Gwen whispered to the boy. She still didn't have a clue what the boy had done to Edward, but she didn't like their odds against a man with a gun. Even with her magic.

"Just run ahead. I'll be right behind you." Kevin smirked at Henry. Rather than running, Gwen pulled a pocket-size book out and began flipping rapidly through the pages. She knew she had read something useful, something that could help them out. "You wanna see if you can do any better than Edward?" His hands tightened into fists.

"Why you!" The man steadied the gun at Kevin. "Die, you fuckin' bastard!" He shot and Kevin's eyes widened in panic.

Simultaneously, Gwen held out her hand and muttered, "_Celatus_!" A wavering, blue shield materialized in front of Kevin and her.

The bullet lodged into the shield, which then broke apart, bullet falling motionless to the ground. Kevin and Henry both stared in awe at where the shield had been. Henry's mouth moved, but no words came out. She wasn't sure what Kevin's face was like, as she was behind him, but she was certain it was similar to Henry's.

Kevin recovered first from this paralysis and Gwen learned a second later why he had recovered faster than Henry. "Looks like you're out of your league," Kevin quipped.

He stepped forwards, electricity appearing around his hands. It was Gwen's turn to be shocked. She hadn't considered that the boy could have powers, but it made sense. How else would he have gotten away from a man with a gun in the first place?

"You're both f-f-f-fr-fr-freaks!" Henry shouted, his gun trembling in his hands. He shot again, but his shot was wild and it hit the wall.

"That really hurts," Kevin replied sarcastically.

"Kevin, don't!" Gwen shouted, but it was too late.

He had shot the electricity out at Henry. It jumped across the man's skin, eliciting agonizing screams. His skin blackened in places as he fell to the ground, writhing like a hooked fish.

Gwen couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight. It was much more pain than she had ever seen on anyone's face and even though Henry had been a criminal, she felt pity for him. Bile rose in her mouth and she nearly retched.

"Why not?" Kevin asked casually as if he hadn't just fried a person.

"Why not?" Gwen tore her eyes away from the man to stare disbelievingly at Kevin. "He was a human being! You can't just go around killing people no matter how despicable they are."

Kevin's dark eyes smoldered. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "He deserved it. You know he did."

Her lips pressed together tightly as she shook her head, "No one deserves to be killed like that. Even him."

"If I had let him go, he would only have tried to kill me later." When he saw that these words had no effect on her, he added, "And he would've just gone back to killing and raping innocents. It would've been wrong to let him go."

"We could've tied him up long enough to get the police."

Kevin laughed. "And if he had escaped?" When Gwen didn't answer, he shook his head. "It was self-defense. He would've killed us. You know he would've."

She sighed, glancing at the smoking corpse. She was too tired to lecture the boy on killing people. "Can you just take me home?"

His eyes softened and he nodded his head. "Yeah."

They began walking once more and once they had left the body far behind, Kevin broke the silence, "Thanks." When no acknowledgement came, he added, "For saving my life. With the blue shield and earlier with the warning. Maybe I coulda gotten out on my own, but thanks."

"It was the right thing to do." Gwen responded. Seeing Kevin flinch slightly at the chill in her voice, she sighed, "And I didn't want to see you die." She had never wanted to see _anyone _die, but she supposed that wish was gone now.

He smiled. "What was that anyway?"

Curiosity overcoming her, she replied, "I'll tell you if you tell me about the electricity."

Kevin nodded his head, "Deal."

"It was magic." It was as simple as that.

"You gotta be kidding me." She looked over at his disbelieving face. "You mean you're a witch? Like in the movies with the wands and broomsticks?" He chuckled. "Is that why you have a cat on your shirt?"

"No." Gwen responded, bristling with indignation. "It's not like that."

He ceased his laughter and raised his hands. "Okay, no need to get offended. What's it like then? Explain, so I can get it."

"Well, I say words, spells, and just direct the magic to do whatever I'm trying to do." Gwen paused, trying to figure out how to describe it to the boy. No one had really asked her _how_ she did it, just _what_ she could do with it.

"So where does the energy come from to power the spell? It can't just poof out from nothing."

Gwen shrugged, "From inside me, I suppose. I've never thought about it." She glanced down at her hands. Besides the charms she had first used, she had never tried drawing her magic from another source though she had heard of talismans that bolstered magical abilities.

"And you can do whatever spells you want?"

"I have to practice them and some are still too powerful for me, but I can do any that are within my abilities." Gwen paused, watching Kevin from the corners of her eyes.

His eyes were focused on the ground, face scrunched up thoughtfully. Then he glanced at her. "Do your folks know?"

"No," Gwen admitted, her face flushing. She had never gotten around to discussing it with her parents, deciding it was better to keep them in the dark. "Only my grandpa and cousin know. They were there when I first discovered it."

"Don't tell your parents." Kevin muttered darkly.

Gwen looked at him, trying to read the past in the dark glare of his eyes and the grim set of his mouth. "Why?"

"You wouldn't want to ruin your relationship." He replied gruffly.

It seemed like a subject he didn't want to be bothered about, but Gwen had to know. She wanted to know what had happened. Why this boy was what he was… "Did you tell your parents?"

Kevin's smile was twisted as he laughed shortly, "No. My powers came up a bit differently than yours." He glared at the ground. "But all the same, they figured I was a freak and tossed me out."

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing Gwen could think to say. She thought about reaching out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder and ask if he wanted to come with her. Grandpa Max would surely take him in or maybe he could live with her parents. But before she could do anything else, he had sped up their pace and steered away from the subject.

"So you wanted to know about my powers? It's simple." Electricity crackled around the hand he held up. "I absorb energy and then I can dish it out whenever I want." The electricity jumped from his hand to hit the wall. It left a scorch mark.

"Where'd you get them from?"

Kevin shrugged. "I dunno. It wasn't a freak spider bite and I haven't spent any time in nuclear plants. I was normal and then one day I touched an outlet and all this electricity came rushing up into me."

Gwen opened her mouth to ask him if he had been scared the first time, but he interrupted, "Your hotel awaits."

She followed his pointing finger to the large building. Talking to him, she hadn't noticed how they had left the dirty alleyways behind and entered the regular streets. It was disappointing that they had reached the hotel so quickly, but soon enthusiasm to see her parents rose in her.

"Come on, we should go up. My parents are probably worried sick."

"No doubt about that," Kevin replied, following after her.

There wasn't much activity in the lobby although a receptionist sat there just in case, flipping lazily through a magazine. The night watchmen cast them a suspicious look, but didn't stop the two kids from going up to the elevator.

As the door opened and they walked in, Gwen stated, "I didn't say my name earlier, but it's Gwen."

"Gwen…" The name rolled off his tongue as he nodded his head. "Alright, Gwen, what floor do you need?"

"10."

He pressed the button and they waited, each quietly thinking about the other. Once they had reached her floor, they both got out and Gwen led the way to her room. She walked slowly, hoping to talk to Kevin a little more before she reunited with her parents.

She wanted to broach the subject of him coming to live with her, but decided that it would need to come slowly. Anyway, she still had to ask her parents. First things first.

"Do you want to meet my parents? They'll be happy to meet you after I tell them how much help you've been."

"And then I'm sure they'll be delighted once they learn I killed two men today." Kevin rolled his eyes.

Gwen frowned. "We won't bring that up."

"Course not."

They stopped in front of Gwen's room. She knocked on the door and then turned to look at Kevin.

"So do you want to meet them? I don't have any money, but they'll give you what you want."

The door burst open before he could give his answer and Gwen turned around, missing the grim expression on his face. Her father stood there with a tired look on his face, but his eyes brightened when he saw his daughter.

"Gwen! Come here!" He wrapped his arms around the girl and then called into the room, "Lily! She's here! She's back!" Gwen hugged her father back, relief to be where she belonged filling her.

Gwen's mother appeared, tears dripping from her eyes. "Oh sweetie, we were so worried." She embraced Gwen and Frank and then stepped back. "Where'd you disappear to?"

"It's a long story, but there's someone I want you to meet." Gwen turned around to call Kevin forwards. "Kev…" Her shoulders dropped as she looked up and down the deserted hallway. "Kevin!"

Her brow creased in thought. Where had he gone? Disappointment welled up in her along with melancholy. She had wanted to help him, but he had disappeared into the air as if he had never been there.

"Who's Kevin?" Her father asked, following her gaze up and down the hall.

"A friend. He helped me find my way through the city when I got lost." Gwen frowned. "He was right there when I knocked."

"Well, maybe he had his own parents to get back to." Frank patted her back in consolation. "Now come inside. You must be starved."

"I am," Gwen responded distractedly. She took a final glance up and down the hallway before following her parents inside their room.

She wished that Kevin hadn't disappeared. He would be out in the cold now, sleeping on a park bench or in an abandoned building. She had wanted to get him help, to get him off the streets. He could've lived with her and her parents or Grandpa Max. Gwen was certain Grandpa Max wouldn't have objected to helping the boy. They could've stayed friends, but it seemed that Kevin didn't want it. Or maybe he just had other people to go to.

Then another thought entered Gwen's mind, making her smile. Sure, Kevin hadn't stayed around, but he hadn't asked for payment either. That had to count for something.

Later that night, when Gwen went to bed, the last thought she had was whether she would ever see Kevin again. She hoped that the answer was yes.

* * *

**A/N: Whew, all done with chapter one. I'd like to explain a few things about the AU first that might crop up later, but may also not. **

**1) The summer road trip Ben, Gwen, and Max took still happened, but it was different than in the original series. For one, Ben does not have the Omnitrix. Their first encounter with the abnormal (not including Max who was a Plumber) was when Gwen discovered a set of charms and a spell book. They did fight Hex, using weapons and some basic spells. Eventually they wound up destroying the charms, but Gwen kept the spell book. After that, they fought several other threats, but none of the larger ones after the Omnitrix (i.e. no Vilgax). They also didn't meet Kevin in New York. **

**2) Kevin's powers: For the sake of this AU, absorbing energy does not drive him insane. Any problems he has are because of his parents' treatment, his perception of them (especially his stepfather), and his life on the streets. **

**3) Gwen's magic: No, it's not magic. It's still her Anodite powers, but she doesn't know that yet. She'll find out when she's 15 though I won't be writing that scene. For those who are curious, the spells are in Latin. I'm using the dictionary I use for my regular English to Latin, Latin to English translations in class, so I know the words are real Latin words. The grammar, not so much, but it wouldn't sound as good with proper grammar. **

**Wow, this was an obscenely long author's note. Anyway, reviews are appreciated and adored, so please review. Thank you and with that until next time,**

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	2. Fantasia

**Author's Notes: Thanks to all those who read and reviewed the previous chapter. I'm not completely certain whether this story is going to be more horror or adventure. Both of those genres will be present (along with romance), but I'm not sure which one is more relevant. I vacillate between the two frequently. **

**Also, if anyone noticed, I changed 'de' to 'du'. I originally meant it as 'du' as in Cirque du Soleil, but I mistyped it in the author notes and then later in the title. All of that has been changed and it is now, without a doubt, 'du'. 'Du' is French, which is where the rest of the title is. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I also don't own the quote at the beginning or It by Stephen King which is referenced in this chapter (actually the movie's referenced). **

_"The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities."  
_- Sydney Smith

_**Chapter 2: Fantasia **_

_6 years later… _

"Behind you!"

Gwen twisted around, just in time to shoot a ball of mana into the Forever Knight sneaking up on her. He was sent flying back into the wall. She wrapped two other knights up in mana and smashed their heads together with a metallic clang. Releasing them, she turned around and sent several mana balls flying at a cluster of knights. They fell one by one.

Another knight, off to the side, readied his laser gun and fired. The shot hit Gwen's arm, singing the fabric of her shirt and burning her arm. She grit her teeth against the pain, but before she could fire mana at the knight, a golden blast of energy knocked him off his feet.

Gwen shot a smile at Michael for the assistance before turning her full attention back to the knights. They had regrouped and fled with their proverbial tails between their legs. She considered going after them before deciding it wasn't worth it. The important thing was that they had stopped the robbery.

Ben and Michael approached her; the group's silent consensus was to let the Forever Knights run back to their lair. They had never been a large threat anyway.

"Hey Gwen, are you okay? I saw you get hit." Ben asked, slipping his blaster back into its holster.

"I'm fine. It's just a small burn." Gwen remarked, pulling her sleeve up to peer closer at the burnt skin. It was red and it stung, but it wasn't lethal or even that harmful.

"It's fortunate it wasn't a direct hit. Or a larger weapon." Michael observed, brushing his fingers near the wound. "Come on, there's a first-aid kit in the car."

"Sounds good." She wasn't going to deny a soothing cream to ease the stinging sensation.

The trio returned to Michael's sports car, a sleek, black vehicle. He pulled out the first-aid kit. When Gwen extended her arm, he tenderly rubbed the salve on her skin, sighs of relief coming from the girl. Once he was done, they all piled into the car; Gwen taking the passenger seat and Ben clambering into the back.

"Who wants to do something besides fight aliens tomorrow night?" Ben inquired as the car pulled away from the store the Forever Knights had been ransacking.

Catching the excitement in his voice, Gwen followed with a question of her own, "What do you have in mind?"

"This." She looked over her shoulder as he withdrew a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Julie already agreed to go." Gwen accepted the flyer from Ben.

The flyer had a black background with a sinister clown face grinning in the foreground. The clown's face was deathly white, his nose blue and his hair a shocking crimson. Gleaming eyes stared out from the back. In the clown's outstretched, white-gloved hands, it read 'Cirque du Monstre' in curly Gothic letters and below that, there was a list of show times and a brief description of the cirque.

Michael glanced over at the flyer before returning his gaze to the road. "What does it say?"

"It says, 'Ever seen a boy surrounded by fire of his own creation? A woman with hair that can move like serpents? Or a real monster? Come to Cirque du Monstre and you'll see all this and more!'" Having finished reading, Gwen turned her head back to Ben. "This sounds like a hoax, Ben."

Ben shook his head. "It's not." When Gwen's skeptical look didn't disappear, he added, "Aliens exist, so why can't people like this exist? Maybe they have alien heritage like us! Aren't you curious?"

"It does sound interesting, Gwen." Michael piped in. "If Cirque du Monstre actually has what it advertises, it'll be an interesting sight. We can learn a lot and anyway it'll be a good show."

Gwen's eyes returned to the flyer. She stared hard into the clown's eyes, trying to discern the truth. "I don't know."

"Gwen, when's the last time we just went out and saw a show? A circus show?" When his question was met with silence, Ben continued smugly, "It'll be fun to see it even if it is a hoax. Which it's not."

"Well, I suppose so." Gwen handed the flyer back to Ben. A cheeky smile flashed on to her face. "But you have to promise not to cry when the clown comes on."

Michael laughed and glanced at Ben in the rearview mirror, "You're afraid of clowns?"

Ben's cheeks reddened. "Hey, I haven't been afraid of clowns since I was little. And you know they can be creepy. They wouldn't have made that scary movie with that clown if there wasn't something off about them." He crossed his arms, pouting as the laughter continued. "I'm not afraid of clowns," he muttered, slumping in his seat.

"Sorry Ben, it had to be done." Gwen apologized in-between her chuckles.

Ben sat up straighter, waving away the apology. "Well, at least you're going. Michael?"

"Of course I'm going." Michael responded. "Something tells me this'll be a good show. It'll be nice to have the night off Plumber duties too."

"Yeah. Things have been a bit slow around here lately." Ben leaned back in his seat. "Max can handle the patrol while we go to the show. It'll be good to have some fun."

Gwen silently agreed with the sentiment. Despite her reservations about Cirque du Monstre, excitement filled her as she thought about the next evening. It could be genuine, in which case, they would be seeing a lot of human-alien hybrids. Maybe even some full aliens. It'd be a non-hostile environment, far different from the battlefields they usually saw aliens in. They could learn something new and even better than that, it'd be an enjoyable experience.

* * *

The next evening, rather than taking the usual patrol route through Bellwood, Michael drove them to a clearing on the outskirts of the town. A large black and red tent had been set up in the field surrounded by smaller tents. Mounted lights formed a pathway to the interior of the tent. Already there was a large crowd of teenagers and young adults clutching tickets.

"Looks like we came just in time," Ben remarked as Michael parked the car and they piled out.

The two couples got into line. Their tickets were accepted by a masked man who then waved them in wordlessly.

Rows of seats had been set up inside the tent around half of a large, open circle. Floating lights illuminated the area. Gwen searched for a string connecting the lights to the ceiling, but failed to find any. The thought that this might not be a hoax and that the lights were actually floating occurred to her, stirring excitement. Men in ivory white masks patrolled the area, directing people to their seats.

They had seats in the second row, a little off to the right. Gwen sat down between Ben and Michael; Julie took a seat by Ben's side.

"Are the lights actually floating?" Julie murmured to the others, brown eyes staring up in amazement. She didn't go out on patrol with them though she had seen plenty of aliens since she had started dating Ben, even fighting alongside the group a few times.

"I think so," Ben replied. He glanced at Gwen. "Maybe they used spells to make them float."

"Maybe. There are plenty of levitation spells." Enthusiasm leaped in Gwen's heart. Could there be magicians here? Even though she knew magic was just another word for the manipulation of mana, it excited her to think about other magicians existing. She wondered if they had Anodite blood as well or whether they were some other sort of species capable of magic.

"It would be fascinating to see someone else use magic." Michael leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "You might be able to pick up a thing or two." He ran his fingers lightly across her hand, sending a thrill down her spine like usual.

"You think so?" Gwen frowned slightly, considering it. "The magic they'd use would be for entertainment purposes. Tricks to wow us, but not really useful in combat."

"I'm sure you could adapt it to help battle aliens." Michael shrugged. "You're smart like that, lovely Gwen."

Suddenly all the lights darkened, plunging the tent into a deep darkness. Someone screamed in alarm at the sudden change in lighting and for a moment, all of Gwen's muscles tensed in readiness. Then she remembered that this was just a show and that the darkness was probably just a part of the show. Slowly her muscles relaxed and she leaned back in her seat.

Sinister laughter sounded from all around, impossible to pinpoint. Gradually dim lights returned, lighting up the stage with a soft glow. A clown, the same one from the flyer, now stood in the center of the ring, black eyes solemnly watching the audience. His crimson hair frizzed out beneath his elegant black top hat. He leaned against a black staff, the fingers of his right hand drumming gently against his left.

A broad grin, stretching from ear to ear, pulled on to his face as he threw his arms up into the air. Purple flames jumped up on either side of him before dying down. "Welcome all!" He crowed. "Tonight you have entered the realm of the dark, the mysterious, the supernatural. You have stepped out of your everyday lives and come to revel at the hidden side of life."

_Excluding us. The dark and mysterious is everyday stuff for us. _Gwen thought, but it wasn't a bitter thought. Just a mere observation that didn't quell her excitement at all.

"I will be your guide, the ever reliable Zombozo!" He stopped for applause and then continued, "Tonight you will embark on a journey which will leave such spectacular memories that you will never be able to look at anything without doubting its normalcy ever again. Tonight you enter the world of the freaks. Tonight you enter Cirque du Monstre!" At this final grand note, more flames jumped up and the clown vanished in a puff of confetti. There were gasps from the audience, Gwen included.

_Maybe this is real. A teleportation spell? _She thought as flames blazed up once more, bathing the tent with light. Orchestral music began playing in the background, a sonorous composition of grandeur and clashing rhythms.

Shadowy figures danced into the ring, their bodies swaying to the music. They swung around, tossing arms up into the air, twirling. Body parts almost seemed to fade away whenever one came close to one of the dancing flames. Among the flickering, shadowy figures, there was a more substantial figure dressed in a black cloak. This figure did not jump and lengthen with the fire; instead he moved with a solid tangibility.

The figures moved in a circle, expanding its circumference as the music's tempo became hastier and the volume reached a fevered pitch. A final note resonated in the air with a resounding boom and one of the figures separated, spinning into the center of the ring.

He stopped and dropped to his knees, his hood falling back to reveal a young boy. Gwen was astonished to see such a young boy, but it was nothing to what happened next. For a moment, there was dead silence. Then the instruments exploded into life and the boy burst into flames.

Everyone in the audience gasped even though who considered themselves to have seen plenty of strange things in their lives. As the sudden burst of flames died away, they saw that in the boy's place, there was a creature composed of stone and fire.

"A Pyronite," Michael whispered into her ear just as she thought the word.

"No, a half Pyronite. He's like us," Gwen whispered back, staring in amazement as the Pyronite boy stood up.

With a sweep of his arms, flames shot out. They incinerated the shadowy figures and rose up towards the audience. There were assorted shrieks before the fire died away, so the worst anyone felt was a wave of heat.

The boy smiled at the audience's mix of fright and anticipation. The ground beneath his feet trembled and the fiery patch broke off, raising him into the air. He hovered in the air for a moment before taking off towards the audience. As the music's melodies interweaved, he swept over the audience, letting them bask in the heat.

He made two circuits around the arena before a winged monster flew out from the eaves of the tent to majestic trumpeting. It was faintly draconic in appearance with a leathery, black body and glistening yellow eyes. The creature chased after the boy, snapping at his trail with ivory-white teeth.

"What do you think that is?" Michael murmured. Gwen shook her head, not recognizing the beast from any of the alien databases she had perused. She supposed it could be an illusion albeit a very realistic one.

The Pyronite boy dove down to the ground, which he hovered over. Turning around, he blasted a stream of flames at the monster. The monster twisted away to the accompaniment of instrumental thrills; the flames evaporated. Again, the boy shot numerous fireballs, all of which missed the beast.

The crowd cheered for the boy, encouraging him to try again. Though she knew it was a choreographed fight and the outcome would be favorable to him, Gwen found herself caught in the rush. The music swelled: the melodies became more complex, the playing more passionate, and the tempo much faster.

The monster charged at him; he jumped off his platform, rolling away. Before the monster could turn its sights on him, the boy twisted around and shot a torrent of fire at its face. It howled in rage and charged again. The boy shot flames at the ground, boosting himself over the monster. He did a flip in the air and shot flames down at the beast's back. Nimbly the boy landed on the ground, tossing his arms up into the air to produce pillars of flame, a flag for his victory. The music boomed triumphantly.

Behind him, the monster had crumbled to the ground. Its carcass burned for a few moments before it broke apart into shadowy slivers. All the fires died down, plunging the whole arena into darkness once more. Loud applause broke out everywhere, mixed in with whistling and cries for more.

The floating lights turned back on, one by one. A light piano concerto began in the background. There were now three figures standing in a circle around a steel column, hands clasped. One was a woman in a tight jumpsuit with five orange tentacles of hair, each tentacle topped with a metal orb. The other two were male. One of them was zombie-like with rotting teeth, green skin, and different-sized eyes. The remaining was a muscular man with an oval face and a tuft of jade hair.

Zombozo's voice reverberated through the arena. "Now I introduce to you three of my oldest friends. Frightwig, the woman whose hair can move on its own. Thumbskull, the strongest man in the world. And Acid Breath, a man who redefines the term 'bad breath'." He laughed. "Now we just need a volunteer from the crowd. Don't be shy. You only have to try picking up this column to show everyone just how heavy it is."

A muscular man stood up. Zombozo waved him to come down. "Now just try and pick it up."

Confidently, with the air of someone who knows he can do what he wants, the man seized the column. He tried lifting it, but it remained stubbornly on the ground. The man frowned and wrapped his arms around it. He tried again, putting his back into it this time. The column lifted a few centimeters off the ground before dropping again. The man was panting.

"Now how was that?" Zombozo asked from his hiding spot.

Wiping a line of sweat off his brow, the man replied, "Heavy. It's impossible to lift for long."

Zombozo laughed with pleasure. "Well, you heard it from one of your own, folks. Return to your seat." The man walked back and the piano concerto became louder. "Let's see what our performers have to say about this."

The woman left the circle first, cart wheeling away from the odd group. Her hair spun out around her, flying through the air even when she was standing still. The muscular man picked up the steel column with ease. He hefted it above his head, spun it around a few times, and then tossed it with ease at the woman.

The woman's tentacle-hair whipped out and wrapped around the steel column, stopping it dead in its tracks. She swung it around, spinning it like a baton thrower. A few times, she threw it up in the air, only to catch it again. Gasps and scattered applause sounded from the audience.

She threw it back towards the two males. Thumbskull caught it and gently placed it down. He stepped aside as Acid Breath stepped forwards. Gwen leaned forwards in her seat, curious to see whether the performer's name rang true with his abilities.

Acid Breath grinned at the audience, displaying his decaying mouth. He inhaled and then exhaled a putrid, sulfurous cloud at the steel column. Instantly his acidic breath melted away the metal, leaving a large hole in the column. He smiled once more and let out a larger exhalation over the whole column. It dissolved rapidly, leaving the audience to cheer wildly at the freakish feat.

While Frightwig and Acid Breath broke up into a series of acrobatic moves, Frightwig's especially interesting by the way her hair took part in the spins, Thumbskull disappeared backstage. He reappeared, carrying a van on his shoulders. There was a goofy grin on his face as he chucked the van at Frightwig and Acid Breath who now had their backs to the audience.

People in the first few rows gasped in fear, some even hid their faces from the approaching missile. Gwen's fists curled, an automatic response to something flying at them. She beat down the instinct to set up a mana shield.

All five of Frightwig's tentacles shot out. The orbs at their ends smashed into the van, slowing its progression through the air. Then Acid Breath spewed out more of his acidic breath, which melted the van through the middle. Frightwig tossed the remaining parts aside with a casual flick of her hair.

The trio rejoined in the center of the ring, taking bows to the mad applause of the audience. The piano concerto came to a close, the soft notes ringing in the air. Then darkness fell once more and the crowd settled back to await the next display of fantasia.

Zombozo's voice appeared, echoing through the tent. "Enchantments, spells, hexes: we have all heard these terms thrown around. You have doubtlessly seen peddlers on the street, claiming to have love spells or curses at their disposal, but they're frauds. Now put your hands together to see some real magic." Gwen felt Michael touch her arm, sharing the excitement she felt.

Again, the lights returned with the soft accompaniment of flutes. Mandolins and fiddles joined in with the mystic melody, followed by other instruments. Stone golems inscribed with magenta runes drew their heavy limbs from the ground, pulling away from the earth like creatures escaping their tar prisons. They stood in a quiet circle, bowing their heads to the center. To their master.

Their master was a young woman with flowing white hair and piercing azure eyes. She held a serpentine staff in her hands, smirking at the people around her.

_The staff – it's like Hex's! _Gwen could still remember the staff although it had been years since she had seen the master magician. She wondered if the staff was the very same as Hex's or if there were multiple staffs. The latter seemed more likely as she couldn't remember Hex having any female relations or even an apprentice.

_Well, it's not dangerous if she's just using it to entertain others. _With that reassuring thought, Gwen settled back in her seat, eager to watch the magic and learn from it. She wondered how the woman had summoned the golems.

The woman snapped her fingers, calling a golem to her. It moved quickly, belying its hulking size. She jumped up into the air, using her magic to launch herself higher than humanly possible. When she dropped back down, she landed firmly on the golem's shoulders.

Her lips moved in command, foreign words too quiet for the audience to make out. All the golems minus the one she stood on fanned outwards. Obstacles appeared in their paths; they smashed mindlessly through them, displaying their great strength. And then the woman turned on them.

"_Eterla Morbulous_!" One of the rock monsters crumbled into dust, bringing forth growling complaints from its fellow golems. The golems turned towards their master.

Before they could do anything, she shouted another spell, "_Vitalis Eruptum_!" Vines burst from the ground, wrapping around two of the golems. The plants constricted their prey, bursting the golems into rocks. The audience watched, enchanted by this display of magic.

One of the golems charged at her and her mount. The woman leaped into the air, levitating calmly as the two golems smashed together and reduced one another into dust. She landed lithely, a jungle cat in her terrain.

Swiveling around, the enchantress yelled, "_Sinnyu Invisibis!_" Chunks of earth levitated around the witch. She made the boulders soar, weaving them through the air in elegant patterns. Then she brought her hand down and the whole barrage rained down on a hapless golem.

There were three golems left. They walked towards her, arms extended, crying for vengeance. Gwen wondered briefly whether the woman was manipulating the golems to react this way or whether they were sentient enough to care for their fellows. Before she could complete the thought, the witch opened her mouth to say another spell and Gwen perked her ears to hear it,

"_Energia Afflatus Calfacio!_"

The air in front of the woman shimmered with heat. The shimmer grew from a shimmer into a nearly solid globule of white-hot energy. She smiled cruelly and turned on her heel, completing a tight spin. As she spun, her hands trailed out around her, bringing the energy with her until it formed a circle around her.

"_Torre_!" The energy circle shot out around, a giant shockwave of heat and power stemming from its epicenter, the witch. The intensity melted the golems; all the energy dissipating before it could reach the audience. The spell took a while to set up, but Gwen committed it to memory.

The woman stood victorious, causing the audience to burst into loud applause, a few catcalls mixed in with the clapping. A smile appeared on the witch's face as she took her bows. There was chanting for an encore, another demonstration of her magical abilities.

Zombozo's voice appeared again. "I'm sorry, but we're running out of time and we've still got a big treat ahead. Something I am certain none of you has even imagined possible. Say good-bye to the beautiful sorceress now!" There were some boos, but most of the audience was too excited by this 'big treat' Zombozo had up his sleeve to be too disappointed.

As if a small cry of rebellion to the clown or perhaps an indulgence for her adoring fans, the woman murmured, "_Serpens Proditus!_" The staff in her hand became a serpent, twining around her arm and about her shoulders. It hissed at the crowd, eliciting more cheers which continued after the lights dimmed.

"What did you think?" Michael murmured into her ear, already knowing the answer from her animated expressions during the performance.

"It was amazing." Gwen breathed out. "Those weren't cheap magic tricks. They were real spells. She really knew her stuff." Her eyes shone with bubbling excitement. "I want to try some of those spells."

"I'm sure you'll be able to use them perfectly."

A beam of light shone down, illuminating only Zombozo. He stood with hands behind his back and a grin on his face. "Attention all, what I am about to show you is something I can guarantee none of you have ever seen before. Something entirely one-of-a-kind. Something that can only be seen here at Cirque du Monstre. A creature so monstrous and crazy we have to keep him locked up. I present to you our final act!"

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I'm going to be mean and cut it off here. You'll have to wait a bit longer, hopefully not too long. Let me know what you think. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	3. A Familiar Face

**Author's Notes: A hearty thank you to all my reviewers! I certainly didn't expect so many and it made me happy to read them. I would've posted this last week, but my laptop crashed. The store told me I would have to pay $500 to fix the motherboard, which they thought was broken. Fortunately my dad was able to fix it by taking it apart and replacing the dead clock battery (the store was wrong about the motherboard having crashed), which only costs $2. So all my files were safe (most of them are back-upped on a drive but this chapter was not among those files) and I had my laptop back. **

**So I present to you the third chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I don't own the quote at the beginning. **

_"You and I will meet again, When we're least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again."  
_- Tom Petty

_**Chapter 3: A Familiar Face**_

"I present to you our final act!"

The floating lights turned back on, casting an ethereal glow on the ring. A large cage stood near Zombozo. Inside it was a creature Gwen had never seen and never would have imagined to exist. It had parts she recognized from aliens: a Pyronite arm, the lower arms of a Vulpimancer, a Kineceleran tail. However, none of these parts looked like they belonged in this horrible amalgam. It was unnatural and Gwen couldn't envision how such a creature had come to be alive.

A wrathful roar escaped the beast, revealing rows of sharp teeth. People had screamed when it had first been revealed and they screamed now too. Despite their apparent fear, people leaned forwards in their seats, eager to take a closer look at this monster.

"I've never seen anything like it." Michael murmured into her ear. "It's got so many different parts. What do you think it is?"

Gwen shrugged and admitted, "I don't know. Maybe it was created."

"It's a possible theory." Michael whispered back, looking thoughtfully at the snarling beast.

Zombozo's voice cut their conversation to a close. "What you see before you is a creature unlike any other. It's vicious, bloodthirsty, and incredibly dangerous. But that's why we keep it locked up." He stopped to laugh darkly. "Now who wants to get a closer look at what this monster can do?" There was a roar of agreement from the audience. "Very well." Zombozo snapped his fingers and the door of the cage opened.

The monster moved forwards, heading straight towards Zombozo. Before it could reach the clown, constricting bands had wrapped around all four arms and its ankles. They held the beast in place despite its frantic struggle against the bonds. Zombozo smiled, gesturing to the sorceress from the act before.

"Thank you, dear."

Gwen glanced around, noticing that the other performers had gathered around the edges of the ring, quiet sentinels to watch the proceedings. Then her eyes shot back to the creature and the grinning clown.

"Now ladies and gents, you can see that it's got quite an assortment of parts." Zombozo chuckled at the messy array and then pointed with his black staff at each part as he named it. "Four arms here: two orange ones with quills, a magma arm, and a diamond-hard arm. Insect wings. A long tail. A large eye and a set of two smaller ones. Gills. I'm sure you're all eager to see what it can actually do besides snarl and snap. We'll see if we can coax it into showing off its abilities."

On cue, the half-Pyronite boy stepped up and shot a river of fire at the creature. It pulled its Pyronite arm forwards, moving against the band's constriction, and countered with a blast of its own fire. The two forces collided and dissipated.

Then, with lightning speed, the monster whirled around and shot off several rounds of sharp crystals at the sorceress binding it. It distracted her momentarily, lending the monster enough time to rip through the weakened chains.

Terrified shrieks rose up from the audience. A glance at Zombozo's stunned features told her that this wasn't how the act was supposed to go. Gwen's fists curled automatically though she didn't call forth any mana. Yet. If the monster made any moves towards the audience, she would protect them but not until she had ascertained that the performers didn't have a grasp on the situation and that the monster was actually going to hurt people.

Right now, it didn't appear like that. It fired flames down at the other performers before jumping into the air. For a moment, Gwen doubted that the wings would be able to support its massive weight. However, they began beating quickly and he was flying towards the roof of the tent.

"Don't let it go! It'll only cause havoc!" Zombozo's cry restored order among the other performers who had been busy extinguishing the fires that been started.

With a muttered spell Gwen didn't catch, the witch erected a shield before the delicate material of the tent. The monster's crystal projectiles smashed into the shield, but didn't shatter it. It snarled and pounded a flaming fist into the wall.

The other performers had rounded up chains and nets to entangle the monster with. They tossed them up, but it evaded every single one. Meanwhile, the sorceress pointed her serpentine staff at the monster and shouted,

"_Tempestus Impaetus!_"

Lightning shot from the end of her staff, striking the monster directly. It howled and dropped to the floor, body smoking. There was a massive crash as the pitiable creature landed, stopped in its mad dash for freedom. It tried to raise itself from its crater, but the witch's magical bonds had reasserted themselves around its monstrous form. This time they were tighter, burning with energy, as they raised the beast several feet into the air.

Zombozo chuckled, "A feisty fella, ain't it?"

The majority of the audience released sighs of relief and began clapping, fear forgotten over the excitement of the show. Many figured the whole escapade was simply a plot to arouse fear and exhilaration in the audience. Others didn't care, too entertained by the whole thing to wonder whether it was show or not.

Gwen's fists uncurled; her eyes fixated on the monster. Despite its compromising position, its eyes glared rebelliously at its captors, an expression loaded with loathing and outright hatred. A sense of familiarity filled Gwen's mind as she stared at the creature, but she shook her head. This creature was not something she would've forgotten if she'd seen it before. She tried to cast the thought from her mind.

But the niggling familiarity refused to leave her. It was adamant that while she had never seen a monster like this, she had met someone like the creature. Maybe not murderous, though its preference for escape over slaughtering the audience hinted that maybe it wasn't as bloodthirsty as Zombozo made it out to be, but certainly she had known someone filled with the same pugnacious spirit.

She rejected the thoughts. _I'm just drawing similarities between people I've known and this creature. It's not like I haven't met plenty of people who'll fight their way out if they were stuck in a cage. _

That final thought struck her, filling her with pity for the chained creature. A life in a cage was not a good life; no matter how well-treated it might be behind the scenes. Maybe it deserved to be in the cage, maybe it had murdered hundreds (although she had doubts about that), but that still didn't lessen the pity stirring in her heart.

"Now who'd like to go and face the beast?" Zombozo's voice intruded her thoughts and she shoved them to the side. His eyes skimmed over the crowd, gleaming. "We need brave volunteers who want a closer look. It's an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a real monster up close." He paused and added, "And with all of us watching on, you'll be perfectly safe."

Without thinking, Gwen's hand shot into the air. Around her, a few courageous hands rose hesitantly in the air, a few moments too slow to match Gwen's.

Zombozo had seen the motion and with a brimming smile, he called, "Alright, how 'bout the redhead in the second row and the tough guy in the third row?" Lights fell down to single out his two volunteers. "Come on down."

Gwen hadn't really expected him to choose her, but she rose mechanically from her seat and stepped down to the stage. A man in his twenties with a hard face and a brown buzz-cut followed after her. His eyes fell on to the monster, appraising it with a hunter's gaze.

"Now who do we owe the pleasure of coming down here? Introduce yourselves." Zombozo asked.

"Alec." The man grunted out his name, eyes flickering momentarily to Zombozo and then to the audience. Then his gaze returned to the monster while Zombozo looked at his other volunteer.

"Gwen," she responded.

"Gw-rragh!" The monster roared in pain as the magical bonds sent a burst of energy through it, interrupting whatever it had been about to say.

Gwen stared hard at it, puzzled at the sound. Had it meant to say her name or had it just been a random noise? She frowned.

"Don't worry everybody." Zombozo chuckled, taking in the punishment as if it was an everyday occurrence. "It was about to attack, but we've got it under control. It always makes strange sounds, different from the usual snarls, right as it gets ready to spit up acid. You'd think it would learn by now not to do that, but it's not very bright." He chuckled.

"Well, Alec and Gwen, let's go meet the beast. You can't touch it, but you can come close." Zombozo walked the two of them over to where the monster hung in the air. The audience watched with bated breath.

Gwen peered closely at the creature. Her eyes slid over its body, taking in all the details. Up close, one could see the varying textures of its skin in greater detail. Scars crisscrossed its body along with other wounds. She wondered whether they had been inflicted here or in whatever world the creature had once lived in. Its chest heaved up and down, breathing labored from the pain the sorceress had inflicted.

It stared back at her with careful scrutiny, all three eyes narrowed. Narrowed in anger or thought, she couldn't tell but it unnerved her either way.

"Hmm, this is the quietest I've seen the beast while it was awake." Zombozo observed, laughing. "I suppose the two of you have a calming effect on it. Ever considered signing up for the high life of the cirque? I'd promise good wages if you could keep it like this for every show."

The creature's gaze left her and turned on its master, spiteful and angry. However, it remained silent and soon its eyes had fallen back on Gwen.

"I'm not much for performances," Alec replied gruffly. "Or for calming beasts."

"Pity. Well, what about you, Gwen? Up for coming with us on the road?"

Gwen smiled lightly, more for politeness than for any other impulse, and shook her head. "I'm good."

"Ah well," Zombozo shook his head ruefully before smiling widely, "we've gotten good at handling the beast on our own. Now why don't you head on back to your seats while we put the fella back in its place?" Alec and Gwen began walking towards their seats, but before they had left the stage, Zombozo added, "But first some applause to our volunteers."

The crowd cheered for them as they returned to their seats and then fell silent to watch the performers work the monster back into its cage. It struggled against its bonds, every sound from its throat interrupted by a small blast of pain. Finally they had it back in the cage and Zombozo closed the door with a snap. He gestured at the other performers to wheel away the cage while accepting the thunderous applause of the audience.

"You've been a great audience and we're pleased to have expanded your understanding of the mysterious world we all inhabit. Tonight you leave here with knowledge of the supernatural and an experience few will ever be able to boast of. To come this close to such fantasies is truly spectacular and I am pleased to have been your guide on your trip into our world." All the performers now stepped up in line with Zombozo. "Now I ask that you show us your gratification to satisfy our hungering souls!"

With that, the cast bowed to the deafening cheers, claps, and whoops of the audience. Not many had understood what they had seen; a few even doubted the possibility that such mystical things existed. However, all were incredibly thrilled by the performance and they showed it raucously.

Eventually the applause faded away and with a final flourish of his hat, Zombozo flooded the arena with darkness. Then the lights returned at full power, revealing an empty ring. People began to stand up and head down to the exits, directed by the masked figures from before.

"What did I say?" Ben crowed as their quartet headed out.

"It was incredible." Michael stated.

"And definitely not a hoax," Gwen added. "It was a good show."

"Definitely," Julie agreed with the two. She squeezed Ben's hand. "You chose a great show, Ben."

Ben smiled, "We should do things like this more often."

"Yeah." Gwen glanced around as they went out into the crisp evening air. "Hey, I need to go to the bathroom."

"I think there was one off to the right inside." Michael replied. "Do you want us to wait for you?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, I'll meet you guys at the car." With that, she parted from the group, which resumed chatting about the circus and the individual acts.

Gwen wandered back into the emptying circus tent, skirting around the groups of people heading out. She didn't head back into the arena, instead taking a right to find the bathroom Michael had spoken of. As she walked further into the tent's passageway, wondering if she had gone the right way, she heard the crack of a whip.

She froze, ears straining to hear anything else. The noisy crowd sounds were drowned out now, casting the area into an eerie silence. It was dark; the only lighting came from a few dim orbs hovering in the air. The excitement of the circus had worn off; now the place was creepy and made shivers travel up her spine. Again, the whip cracked and Gwen knew it hadn't been her imagination.

The thought to turn back never occurred to her. She tiptoed in the direction the sound had come from, being wary to not make any accidental sounds. There was a voice now, loud and furious. Gwen hastened her pace, but still retained the same amount of stealth. She reached the end of the passage; a red swath of fabric blocked her way. Tentatively Gwen reached out and brushed it to the side, just enough so she could see beyond it.

Zombozo stood in front of a filthy cage, his back turned to Gwen. The monster from the show glared at him from inside. Its wrists and ankles were bound by glowing blue chains and the cage itself was barely large enough for him to turn around completely.

"Haven't I taught you not to speak during shows?" Zombozo cracked the whip again, striking the creature's face. There was an angry tremor in his voice, transforming him from a jolly clown into a frightening spirit. "Haven't I?" Again, the whip cracked down, drawing blood from the creature. "Answer me when I speak to you!"

A smirk spread over the creature's face as it spat at him, "Go to hell." There was something familiar about the smirk and the way it spoke.

Zombozo shook with rage and Gwen thought he was going to strike the creature again. However, instead he burst into maniacal laughter. "Is that how you want it to be? Well then, why don't we give you a little pick-me-up? I think we've been neglecting you. Yes, yes, this will be good for you, Kevin."

All the little bits of familiarity that Gwen had been picking up coalesced into one grand recognition at the drop of its name. No, not its, _his_. The creature was Kevin, the boy who had helped her out back in New York City. She had never forgotten the encounter though time had dulled it and shifted it to the back of her mind. However, seeing him here brought it all back. With the memories came the desire to help him now when she had failed to extend a helping hand all those years ago.

_But how did this happen? All he did was absorb electricity. No shapeshifting whatsoever. Unless his powers changed as he grew. Mine did. Maybe his transformed him into this… _Her head spun from theories on how Kevin had wound up this way, so beyond human that he was impossible to recognize by appearance alone.

Gwen watched in fascination as Zombozo drew out an orb from a nearby chest. The metallic orb was intersected with glowing blue lines. He tapped it once, causing the orb to split open and reveal its contents. A clear barrier stayed fixated around the device.

The device inside the orb looked a bit like a watch except the faceplate lacked hands and numbers. It was bulky and sat on a purple cushion. Zombozo held the orb carefully with a kind of reverence.

"Charmcaster, hold his hands out." Zombozo called out as he stepped towards Kevin. Gwen watched quietly from her hiding spot, wondering what was going to happen.

The sorceress from the show stepped up. With a flick of her wrist, she drew Kevin's hands towards the orb. He struggled against it, but there was no escape in the cramped cage.

"Time for you to take some in. Maybe then you'll learn not to speak so rudely to your master." Zombozo sneered, holding out his treasure.

When Kevin's hands came in contact with the glass barrier, energy shot through. The green glow intensified, so that Gwen had to look away. Howls of pain broke the air, but there was nothing he could do about the situation.

When the glowing stopped, Gwen looked back. Kevin leaned against the cage bars, breathing heavily. There was no apparent change in Kevin's condition except his increased respiration. Zombozo shut the orb and leaned in closer to Kevin.

"Now see here, I don't want you bringing trouble. Talking as if you're human, as if you're not a crazy monster, it's ridiculous. You're not human anymore and you won't be human ever again, so let it go." The clown laughed cruelly. "Embrace your wild side and forget about being normal! It'll never happen."

Still panting, Kevin glared at his captor, his lip pulling back into a snarl. "One day you're going to pay for this." He growled, causing Zombozo to laugh.

"And one day you'll find someone who'll love you." The clown waved his hand in dismissal. "It's not happening. Now I'm going. Stay here and be a good beast." Still laughing, the clown began to walk in Gwen's direction.

She considered revealing herself and fighting to help Kevin out, but she wasn't so sure she could face all the performers. No, she had to do this in a smarter way. Come back at a later time when the circus was sleeping and then free Kevin.

Having made up her mind, Gwen whirled around and ran out. She quickly turned back into the lobby and made her way outside the circus tent. She took several breaths of the chilly air, enjoying the feel after the heat of the tent and the experience of nearly being caught.

_I'll come back later. When the others aren't waiting for me. _Gwen vowed silently to herself.

"Hey, what took so long?" Michael asked as she slipped into the passenger seat of the car. Ben and Julie watched her curiously.

"I got lost," Gwen quickly lied, looking out the window immediately.

She couldn't explain why she wasn't telling Ben, Michael, or Julie about this. Perhaps it was because she wasn't sure they would go along with her suspicion. They could call her crazy for thinking that, call it a coincidence that a super-powered kid from New York had the same name as a monster in a cage. Or maybe it was because of some internal selfish desire to be the sole one to free Kevin.

Her eyes focused on the circus tent, in which a boy in a monster's body waited, cooped up in a cage. She didn't know what the strange device had been or what its purpose was, but she knew that she wasn't going to let anyone endure torture if she could do anything about it.

The car pulled out and began the drive to Gwen's house. Gwen kept her eyes fastened on the circus for as long as she was able to without having to turn around and reveal her action to the rest of the group. They talked, but she didn't listen, too caught-up with her own thoughts.

There was so much she didn't understand about the situation. She still couldn't comprehend how the human boy she had met had become an amalgamation of so many aliens. She didn't really know how Kevin had wound up in Zombozo's hands though the answer to that question was much clearer than the prior.

Living on the streets, Kevin would have been susceptible to someone picking him up. If Zombozo had seen his talent, he would've wanted that ability among his fantastic repertoire. It made Gwen wonder whether any of the performers were there by force or whether it was just Kevin. She supposed Kevin could've joined voluntarily and then what? Changed into a monster and decided to back out? Or had Zombozo decided a monstrous beast was much more exciting than a humane creature, so he had started mistreating Kevin.

There were so many possibilities to the situation, so many different ways the past could have gone down. She knew that she could ask Kevin the questions once she broke him free, but that didn't stop her mind from speculating.

A warm hand touched her arm, jolting her back to the reality around her. "You okay?" Gwen blinked at Michael's concern. "You're acting spacey." She glanced into the rearview mirror, noting the worried expressions on Julie and Ben.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired." Gwen knew she wasn't a good liar, but the simplicity of her statement was enough to let it slide under their radars. She placed her hand over her mouth, a fake yawn to suspend any lingering disbelief.

"You're telling me you don't feel tired after pummeling Forever Knights, but you're feeling sleepy after watching a circus performance?" Ben asked, quirking an eyebrow. She almost thought her lie had been caught before realizing Ben was just teasing her about it.

Relaxing, Gwen retorted, "It's just built up after all these late nights."

"You should go straight to bed," Michael instructed her. "I don't want my lovely Gwen feeling tired."

She nodded her head, hiding the smile. They had bought it, not that it was much of a stretch to buy in the first place. "I will," she promised as they pulled up to her house. "I'll see all of you tomorrow."

"Bye Gwen," the trio chorused as she stepped out of the car.

She felt bad about having lied to her friends, but she didn't want them involved and she didn't want to give them a chance to stop her. Anyway, it's not like she was going to hide this forever. She'd introduce them to Kevin once she got the boy free from his captivity.

The daunting task ahead took over her brain, her thoughts spinning on how exactly she would go around freeing him. There were spells that could help break the cage itself. Then it would just be as simple as getting the power cuffs off so they could make an escape without his powers being encumbered by the cuffs.

There could be guards and they would certainly complicate matters, but Gwen was confident that she could take care of them. Hopefully they wouldn't have tight security. Despite the clown's malevolent air, he didn't seem like too threatening a figure. As for the others, even with their talents, they were still in the entertainment industry. They didn't see frequent combat except in their staged fights (although Gwen had a feeling they were much more capable than she had initially expected them to be).

No, Gwen was certain that escape would not be tough. It was what to do after that puzzled her. She needed a place for Kevin to hide, but where was she supposed to hide a large monster? It had to be somewhere out of the way, but still within easy reach for her. Grandpa Max came to mind, but she didn't want to bother the old man with this.

Then she thought of the perfect place. It was abandoned and secluded, but close enough that she could get there quickly without hitching a ride. It would give Kevin adequate shelter while she figured out how to solve his transformation or if there was even a way to solve it. Pleased with her plans, Gwen slipped into her bed. She would fake sleep for the moment to fool her parents, but she would stay awake and wait for the perfect time.

* * *

**A/N: Originally this chapter was supposed to have Gwen's escape plan, but I was already hitting 9 pages and I knew the escape plan would take more than a few pages. So I'm moving it to next chapter and ending this chapter here. Don't worry, Kevin and Gwen will interact for sure in the next chapter. Please review! **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	4. Nothing More, Nothing Less

**Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews. They really made me smile. I'm sorry this update took so long. I've been busy with end-of-trimester work and this chapter was really tough on me. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Dwayne McDuffie who passed away due to surgical complications on February 21. Not only did he do a lot of work for Ben 10 as the editor, writing some of my favorite episodes and creating the character of Darkstar, he was an important figure in the comic industry. He was a fantastic writer and he will be missed. RIP Dwayne McDuffie. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I don't own the quote at the beginning. **

_"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."  
_- Norman B. Rice

_**Chapter 4: Nothing More, Nothing Less**_

The digital clock by Gwen's bedside read 2:00. The numbers glowed in the otherwise dark room, reflecting in Gwen's open eyes. Through the wall, she could hear her father's gentle snores. They had been steady for a long time, but Gwen had decided to wait until she was certain most people would be asleep. And really, who wouldn't at this hour? Even the circus performers would be tucked away for the night, exhausted from their earlier performance and any celebratory partying for a show well-done.

The girl slipped out of bed and quickly changed into jeans and a red blouse. She tied her hair back and then glanced once more at her open magic book. The light from the clock was enough to illuminate the spell she had gone over multiple times and she quietly shaped the sounds with her lips. Satisfied that she had memorized it, Gwen tucked the book away and walked to the middle of her room.

Fatigue should've taken her in its inescapable coils by now, but her body buzzed with energy and anticipation for the task ahead. She was too full of adrenaline for sleepiness to deter her and although she had experienced moments of lethargy while waiting, she felt very awake now.

"_Abeo Exorior!_" Mana surrounded Gwen as her body blurred and then disappeared. There was a flash of vertigo as she flew on the edge of nonexistence before the world resembled itself in front of her.

She was outside in the parking lot of Cirque du Monstre. The tents were still up; now they stood like menacing spires of a dark castle, a totally different place from the evening's jovial place of fun. Shadows obscured the bright tent fabrics, making them look black. The night air was chilly, but Gwen ignored it as she crept warily towards the main tent.

There were two shadowy felines lurking at the entrance. They were large like lions with glittering yellow eyes and vicious ivory claws. Together the two shades moved back and forth, slipping in and out of the shadows. Besides them, there didn't appear to be any other guards but Gwen didn't want to attract their attention lest they had an alarm system attached to them.

Gwen tiptoed to the side of the tent, far enough away from the entrance to avoid the shades. Her fingers brushed the fabric gently before she summoned up a small amount of mana and dragged it through the silky material. It sliced open and she slipped in through the crack.

Inside the tent, it was pitch black with no stars or even floating lights to lead the way. Gwen formed a small ball of mana next to her to illuminate her path. She followed the lonely corridor, walking slowly and keeping the light dim in case anyone came by. No one did as she came to the end.

_Okay, Gwen, time to break him out. _She took a deep breath to steady her erratic heartbeat. What she was about to do was on the edge of right and wrong, at least according to the law. However, it was morally right to free Kevin from his incarceration and it was what she wanted to do. No law in the universe could've barred her from doing this because it wasn't about lawful right. It was about the _right _thing to do, a force that sometimes ignored the law because the law was just too simplistic to take everything into account.

What Zombozo was doing was against the law, keeping a human imprisoned like this, but to the rest of the world, Gwen's action looked like taking someone's property. In a court of law, which would laugh at her insistence that Kevin was human ("humans don't have four arms", "I know what a human is and that ain't no human", and so on), the clown would win.

But none of that mattered to her. _Once I enter, there'll be no turning back. I'm going to help him no matter what happens from here on. _It was a promise to herself and to him.

Gwen pushed back the curtain and stepped into Kevin's room. It was dark like the rest of the tent, but Gwen's light lightened up the area. A throaty growl broke the silence. It came from the cage, from the curled body inside.

"Tryin' to sleep," he muttered, eyes shut tightly against her light. His body moved slightly, but was stopped short by his cage and shackles.

Gwen approached the cage before whispering, "Kevin, get up. It's me, Gwen." She didn't know whether he remembered her or not, but she figured it was better to introduce herself right away to make sure no false assumptions were made.

All of his eyes opened, squinting at the magenta glow. He stood up slowly, chains rattling and body shifting awkwardly to get up in the cramped space. His Pyronite fingers rubbed at his squinted eyes as he shuffled up to the bars.

"Gwen from New York?" He asked gruffly, glancing away. His head bowed.

"Yes." Gwen replied. She smiled, "I'm here to get you out." Kevin's eyes widened as her eyes focused on his cage.

Her mana ball brightened. The cage was sturdy, built of smooth metal. The lock was complex, featuring both a keypad for a number combination and an actual keyhole. Kevin's ankles were bound by tight cuffs, which chaffed his skin. All four of his wrists were restrained by glowing blue cuffs. They were power-inhibiting cuffs, standard devices for anyone who dealt with powerful prisoners. Despite all this security, Gwen was certain she could get him without too much effort.

"Why?" Gwen blinked, startled from her examination of his imprisonment. She looked up at his watchful eyes.

"What do you mean why?" She shot back. In all her meticulous plotting, she hadn't expected questions about why she was helping. She had just expected him to follow, with maybe a few questions about what her plan was.

"Why are you helping me? What benefit is there for you?" He was being completely serious with his questions. He honestly didn't see why she would help him out, a fact that saddened Gwen and strengthened her resolve further. She wanted to show him that the world wasn't entirely mercenary.

"I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do." Gwen took a breath before adding, "And because I want to help you." She smiled at him. "Remember New York? We helped each other back then."

Kevin shifted, tail rustling against the cage's hay flooring. "We had mutual benefits back then, counting as we were both running from the same thing."

Gwen shook her head. "You could've ditched me in the city and gone off on your own, but you didn't. And then you didn't take your money." She took a step back. The old curiosity about the money arose, but she batted it away. "We can talk later when we're somewhere safe."

"They'll come after you." Kevin warned though there was a shine of excitement in his eyes and he was now shifting anxiously from foot to foot.

"They haven't seen me yet." Gwen responded. "Now shut up." Her eyes closed as she called up the words for the spell.

Kevin ignored her command. "Are you prepared to fight?"

Gwen glared at him. "I wouldn't have come if I wasn't ready," she snapped, her tone sharp enough to get him to quiet down for the moment.

Her eyes closed again and she murmured, "_Metalli Caveam Ruo et Frio_." Her eyes shot open, glowing bright magenta. Cracks splintered the metal of the cage before the whole construction shuddered and collapsed in a rain of metallic dust.

Kevin hacked at the fine dust. Gwen smiled sheepishly at him. It had taken a while to find a spell that wouldn't send deadly shards of metal flying through anyone. Finally she had found a spell that would reduce the metal to dust, a fine solution though now she figured she should've warned Kevin beforehand. Still, it had worked and for that, Gwen's smile turned from guilty to victorious.

"You shoulda told me I'd," he coughed before continuing, "be breathing metal before you did that."

"I wasn't sure exactly how it would go." She admitted. "We need to get the energy cuffs off before we go."

Gwen stepped up to him. She wrapped mana around the cuffs, compressing them until they broke under the pressure of her energy. Useless, they fell off Kevin as smoking husks of what they had once been. The fur on his Vulpimancer arms was singed from the mana or from the broken cuffs, Gwen wasn't sure, but the other two arms were strong enough to resist any such injury.

"There. How does it feel?" Gwen asked, smiling.

Kevin curled his fists and then lifted his cuff-less ankles up. A slow smile spread across his face, showing off his jagged teeth. His wings flapped rapidly and his tail whistled through the air. He turned to look at Gwen.

"I feel good. Better than I've felt in a long time." He replied honestly. He stretched out his limbs completely, enjoying the feel of not being constrained in any way. Earlier escape attempt aside, it had been a while since he had been so free to move how he wanted.

Gwen smiled bemusedly at his stretching. "We're not out yet. Let's go before they realize what happened."

He growled, "We can make sure they never follow us." His eyes gleamed with a deep rooted desire. "We can take them down right now." He curled his fists and summoned flames. "If I burn them now, they'll never be able to trap me like this again. They'll pay for what they did to me."

"No." Gwen broke into his reveries of revenge and retaliation.

He glared and stomping over to her, he lowered his face to hers. His mismatched eyes stared at her, burning with an anger that had gone unsatisfied for years now. "Why the hell not?" He snarled.

Gwen glared back at Kevin, not letting any trepidation show on her face. "One, we don't have time for revenge. We need to get out before someone's alerted. And two, I'm not a killer and while I'm helping you break out, you're not killing anyone either." She wasn't about to cave to Kevin just because he was much larger than her. Anyway, she had faced down bigger creatures before who had actually wanted to hurt.

He snapped, "But they did this to me." He gestured at his monstrous form. "They beat, ridiculed, starved, and tortured me. They deserve to die for everything. And you know they wouldn't hesitate to kill you if they caught you right now."

She knew he was right about that. Zombozo and possibly several of the other performers didn't seem above murder. She also knew that what they had done to Kevin was horrible and inexcusable. But it didn't mean they should all die.

Gwen thought back to the performance, recalling the young Pyronite hybrid. He hadn't seemed like a killer and while he might have a secret dark side, she didn't want to risk killing an innocent. Anyway, there were likely people who lived with the circus who weren't cruel. Backstage hands and the like.

"No." Kevin's eyes narrowed, but she didn't back down. "I know they hurt you, but we're not here for vengeance. If they try coming after us, we'll take them down but we won't attack them while they're asleep."

Kevin opened his mouth to argue his point further when the scurry of feet interrupted their conversation. She turned around, summoning mana to her hands.

"That's new," Kevin muttered, glancing at the magenta mana. "You got a lot of new tricks since last time."

"I've grown a lot. And it's not like you haven't changed since." Gwen muttered back at him as the curtain of the room was ripped open by feline shapes.

They were the guardians from the doorway. Their canines glittered in the mana light and their eyes stared hungrily at their prey. These were not domestic kitty-cats or tamed circus beasts; these were jungle killers, unnatural panthers of the night. Each one took a different flank to creep forwards.

"I'm insulted that this is all they've got for security." Kevin bantered with a smirk at the felines.

He raised his Pyronite arm and fired off a stream of fire at one of the cats. The shadowy creature leaped away, letting the fire hit the very flammable tent material. Fire began to spread, eating up the fabric, while the creature landed lithely a little distance away.

"You had to pick fire out of everything." Gwen grumbled, firing off several mana balls at the other cat. One hit it dead-center, sending it into the other side of the tent. She looked away from it at Kevin and tugged at a Vulpimancer arm. "Come on, we have to get out of here before the place falls in on us."

Kevin opened his mouth to protest before nodding. They began to move towards the curtained doorway. He paused on his way to shoot off a rapid volley of crystals at the cat he had previously shot fire at. Due to Gwen's tugging on his furry arm, he didn't take time to see the effect of his attack, only taking a moment to grin at the cat's yowls.

Smoke was beginning to fill the area, the tent material being very easy to burn. It made Gwen's eyes water, but she ignored the itching sensation as she led Kevin away from the flames. She knew that crawling on the ground would help to get away from the smoke, but with the shades still in questionable status, she didn't want to risk becoming easy prey for them.

Something pounced on Gwen's back, knocking her to the ground. She felt its jagged claws dig into the soft flesh of her arm, causing white dots to swim in her vision. Its mouth lowered towards her neck while its heavy weight kept her firmly pinned with no room to get leverage. Rather than the hot breath she had expected, chilliness touched the nape of her neck. Briefly she wondered just what kind of creature it was.

Then the weight was off her. She looked around to see that Kevin had seized the cat with his upper arms. He was now grappling with its slinky form. His crystalline arm shifted into a blade, which he pushed into the belly of the creature. It growled a final protest before it went limp in his arms. Kevin pushed the feline away from himself, letting its gutted body drop to the ground.

The other cat, unhappy by its companion's death, leaped at Kevin. As Kevin drove an uppercut towards its belly, intending to cut it like its fellow, the shade switched direction and landed solidly on the ground. It charged at Kevin's flank.

Gwen watched. Her uninjured hand grasped the other arm where the cat's claws had left bleeding wounds. She was starting to feel slightly dizzy from the blood loss, not to mention that the smoky air was getting worse and worse.

"Kevin! We have to go!" Gwen shouted, squinting through the haze. She could see him wrestling with the cat.

Movement to the side caught Gwen's eye. She stared, transfixed, as the sides of the cat Kevin had split down the middle stitched together. When it was done, the shadow creature looked as if it had never been injured in the first place. The cat's yellow eyes gleamed as it crouched.

"Watch out!" Gwen warned, just as two things happened. First the feline leapt into the air, claws outstretched to dig into Kevin's exposed back. Next Gwen fired off a solid beam of mana, which wrapped around the creature's torso. She tightened the mana grip and then, spinning, flung the cat back towards the inferno.

Kevin had looked around, just in time to see Gwen's mana capture his attacker. The momentary distraction lent time to the other cat, which now jumped at Kevin. It tried to get a grip on him, but he tossed it off followed by a barrage of crystals.

Gwen's eyes pricked uncomfortably, bringing tears to them. Her head was spinning and her arm was sticky with warm blood. The fight was becoming too arduous, giving too much time for the enemy to wake up and send reinforcements. And at the moment, Gwen didn't fancy much more fighting. "Let's go Kevin."

He glanced at his opponent who was currently occupied with pulling crystalline shards from its shadowy hide. Then he looked back at her, eyes focusing on her reddened eyes and bloody arm, and grumbled, "Fine."

Together the two ran out of the burning circus tent, the fire raging behind them. Once they were out in the open air, Gwen coughed loudly and inhaled the clean air. Her lungs screamed their gratitude to her. She stood still for a moment, savoring this escape from the smoky hellhole, before moving away from the burning tent.

"People," Kevin muttered, jerking his head.

Awoken by the chaos, circus performers and backstage helpers alike were gathering in the parking lot. Around them stalked more creatures that were obviously not real but resembled real animals or at least parts from real animals. In the middle of this gathering was the head honcho himself, Zombozo the wicked clown.

"Get behind me." Kevin grabbed Gwen, shoving her behind him. She couldn't see anything past his large body, but she could hear Zombozo's voice over everyone else's.

"Quiet down! We have been attacked and now we must retaliate against those who think they can just go around and wreck an honest institution. We'll – Wait…" There was a second of silence, of bated breaths and trickling sweat. "The beast has escaped!"

Gwen could imagine the crowd swiveling around to see Kevin standing in front of their burning centerpiece. It wasn't a good image.

"Change of plan, grab him! Disable him but do not kill him." There was a roar from the group as they charged forwards. Feet pounded on the pavement, signaling the arrival of a small but vehement legion.

Kevin's body tensed. Fire blazed in preparation while he raised his other hand and fired off volley after volley of crystals. There were pained shrieks from people or creatures who had been hit by Kevin. Gwen knew Kevin was prepared to fight all of them, kill all of them even, to get away with his life intact. The only problem was Gwen didn't think they could take down the entire group on their own and anyway she didn't want to deal with so much carnage in the first place.

She didn't know how much energy she had left, but it was worth a shot. Ignoring the dizziness that swamped her, Gwen shouted, "_Abeo Exorior!_" Mana wrapped around Kevin and Gwen, taking them away in a blinding field of mana.

When they reappeared, they were in a large, dark warehouse. Starlight shining in from upper windows kept the area lit enough for minimal vision to be possible. There were abandoned mannequins, dusty with age, stuck in various poses. Old cargo boxes lay stacked on one another in the corners of the room. The once-white walls were peeling, showing the corrugated metal beneath. The place smelled musty.

Gwen's temples ached as if miniature woodpeckers were crazily drumming against them in search of prey. Her arm also ached, but that pain was easier to ignore. At least they were safe and the circus probably in disarray from their missing quarry.

Gwen mustered a small smile at Kevin. He wasn't watching her; instead he examined their surroundings. "It's not great, but it's abandoned and it's shelter. No one will find you here and we can make some adjustments to make it more comfortable."

Kevin looked back at her. He growled, "You shoulda let me kill them." His tail swished through the air furiously.

"We couldn't face that many. They would have recaptured you." Gwen replied. Kevin's tail continued to swish through the air, but his scowl disappeared.

"I guess." He muttered, looking around him again.

Gwen followed his gaze. There was no bed, let alone any other comfortable thing to rest on. She didn't think he would mind, seeing as he had been sleeping on hay in a steel cage back at the circus. Though she would definitely make sure to get him something he could use as bedding.

As for food, she was going to bring that tomorrow morning along with medical supplies. She placed a hand on her wound. The bleeding had slowed considerably, but she would need to examine and treat it back home. Sleep would take care of the drumming headache, so with all things considered, she thought it had gone well.

"Thank you."

Gwen looked over at Kevin to find him staring at her. She smiled gently at him and replied, "You're welcome."

Once again, the pair lapsed into silence. Kevin looked away from her. His eyes jumped around from mannequin to mannequin to dusty pile of boxes, not lingering on any one thing for long. His tail had ceased its movement except for the tip, which twitched.

"I'll bring food and a medical kit tomorrow." Gwen paused before adding with a wry grin, "Well, later when the sun comes out. It's already tomorrow."

"You're going to come back?" He looked over at her, head canted like a curious puppy.

"Of course." Her eyes widened slightly, but then she smiled, "It's not like you can buy things on your own." He looked away again. "Unless you don't want me to return."

"No, I want you to come back." Gwen saw his cheeks darken slightly, but then she decided it must've been a trick of the light. The room was certainly dim enough for shadows and light to play tricks on the eyes. "I just wasn't sure if you'd want to."

"Why would you think that?" She wasn't angry at his assumption. Just mystified as to why he would think it. She only hoped it wasn't because she seemed like the sort of person to just ditch someone after helping them escape. "I haven't given you any doubts, have I?"

Kevin glanced over at her and then his eyes were back on a haughty mannequin with crossed arms. He sighed heavily. "No. You haven't."

"Then why think that?" Gwen stepped closer to him, so that she now stood directly in front. She looked up, but he avoided her gaze. "You can tell me, Kevin." When he didn't answer, she reached out and placed a hand on his Petrosapien arm. It was smooth and hard, more like touching stone than a living creature.

Kevin shifted his arm away and shook his head. "Forget about it." He smiled just as she frowned. "It's late. You should go and get some sleep. You have to go to school tomorrow, don't you?"

"It's summer, school's out."

He shrugged. "You should still sleep. And put something on that cut."

Gwen wanted to push the point some more, but at this moment, Kevin looked like he wouldn't give out his secrets for all the money in the world. She would just have to wait to learn. Yeah, she could be patient. For a while.

She yawned, fatigue hitting her now that the adrenaline had finally run dry. "Sleep sounds good right now." Kevin nodded quietly. She smiled at him. "Just stay here until morning, okay?"

"Not like I have anywhere else to go." Kevin walked away, circling the room. "I'll find a good spot to sleep. Go home."

Gwen opened her mouth to utter the teleportation spell, which she thought she could make one more time despite her headache, before pausing. She wanted to say something else, something reassuring or something promising; she wasn't really sure what. There were so many things to discuss between the two, most of all his condition and how they could go about reversing it. He would never truly be free on Earth until he was human again. He'd either have to stay hidden, living in hovels like this one, or go into space to live among other aliens.

Kevin saw her watching him and frowned. "What are you still doing here? Go." He made a shooing gesture. When that failed to get a response, he added, "I'm not going to be able to get any sleep if you keep staring at me."

"Sorry," Gwen looked away hastily. "I was just thinking."

"You haven't forgotten the spell words, have you?" Kevin asked, smirking. "I think the first one started with an 'a'."

"No, I know the words. It's just…" Gwen trailed off. In a flash of inspiration, the correct words came to her, "Kevin, I promise I'll find a way to turn you normal again."

Amusement lit up Kevin's eyes. Sardonically, he replied, "I don't think I was ever normal to begin with."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean." She repeated her vow, this time rewording it, "I promise I won't stop until I find a way to turn you human again."

He settled back. "That's a big thing to promise."

"I'll keep it." She stared back unnervingly.

Kevin looked her over once before nodding his head, "Maybe. Now get to bed."

"Bye Kevin," Gwen smiled at him. She waited a moment before reciting, "_Abeo Exorior!_" Her head was definitely going to kill her for this, but it was better than walking home. As mana surrounded her, she heard him quietly reply,

"Bye Gwen."

* * *

One minute he was watching, wicked smile splitting his white face, as his followers charged towards their hideous quarry. He had been so ready to watch them beat Kevin down and already he had been planning exactly how he would punish him for trying to run away. Then the next minute the monster had disappeared in a pink flash.

"Where the hell did he go?" Zombozo barked, staring around the empty parking lot. His smile had dropped and now his arms were crossed. He knew Kevin couldn't do anything like that; he would have used that move earlier had it been at his disposal. So how had Kevin gotten away like that?

Charmcaster approached him. She had sensed the release of power, mana unlike any she had ever felt before. "I don't know where he went, but it was magic that got him away."

The clown frowned, rubbing his hands together. "Magic?" Charmcaster nodded her head, glancing warily to the side. She knew the clown was capable of punishing messengers he wasn't fond of, but she was also fairly certain that she was safe from his fury, too valuable a performer to give up for an idle tantrum. "He can't use magic. So tell me, Charm, where did the magic come from?"

"Someone must have helped him out." Charmcaster replied. "Whoever it was is powerful."

His frown deepened. "Can you track the spell?"

"No." Charmcaster's hackles rose, magic lingering at her fingertips lest Zombozo's anger come rushing out. But it didn't. The clown simply looked thoughtful, staring at his burning tent in the distance. The other performers had hurried off to extinguish the flames.

Feeling uneasy by the prolonged silence, Charmcaster offered a suggestion. "They couldn't have gone too far. The amount of power released wasn't enough to have taken them out of Bellwood. They're hiding somewhere in town."

Zombozo's frown twisted upwards and he suddenly clapped his hands. "Excellent!" He chuckled. "We'll find them and then Kevin will be punished. As for our mystery magician…" His hands rubbed together in glee. "I've got high plans for the two of them."

His hyena-like laughter rebounded in the area. The heads of the people putting out the blaze jerked toward the source. They could tell their ringleader was pleased in a maniacal way, a huge relief to all who knew his dark side and had been afraid he would be unhappy about the loss of their star attraction. They resumed their work with lighter hearts.

Zombozo quit laughing. "Now Charmcaster, we'll need to call a meeting." She got ready to depart from him, but he stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. The witch resisted the urge to twitch away. "Oh but not right now. Let everyone have their break. Anyway, I have someone I need to find." He released her shoulder and began walking back to his private tent.

He paused and looked back, "Tell all the performers that we'll be meeting in the evening. Tell the good doctor too. He should be there." With that, Zombozo threw his head back, laughed, and then strode off to his tent.

The clown was still fuming about the loss of his most popular attraction, but he was in a cheery mood as well. It was a dangerous mix in him and always meant that there was going to be violence and bloodshed ahead. More than likely all of it to the music of his crazy laughter.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was hell to write. I rewrote the thing several times before I was satisfied with it. Nonetheless, I think it turned out well. Here's to hoping the next chapter proves easier to write. Unlikely since there are so many important conversations to be had next chapter (which means I'll be laboring over getting it right), but I can promise it'll be an exciting one. Anyway, thanks for reading. If you could let me know what you think, that would be fantastic.**

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	5. Healing is a Long Process

**Author's Notes: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I know I haven't updated for a while and I apologize profusely for that. There's just been so much going on in my life lately, none of which I'm going to talk about here because it's private. Anyway, I present to you chapter 5 of Cirque du Monstre. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I don't own the quote at the beginning. **

_"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."  
_- Albert Schweitzer

_**Chapter 5: Healing is a Long Process**_

It was mid-morning, just past 10. Gwen had slept for several hours before her alarm clock had gone off and she had reluctantly parted from her bed. There was just too much to do even though it was summer, the three months of the year where most teenagers could do nothing at all. But she wasn't most and she had to help out Kevin.

Gwen stood outside the abandoned warehouse, holding two bags. She had, after a swift breakfast, gone to a few stores and then gone straight to the warehouse.

Gwen nudged the door open with her foot and then entered the building. Sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening up the space and illuminating whorls of dust in the air. She looked around, but couldn't find Kevin immediately.

Panic welled up in her. What if Zombozo had come back and captured him? She had checked the field earlier that morning and found the tents gone, but they could still be lurking around.

Or what if Kevin had simply left of his own accord? Like last time. It was his right to go where he pleased, but… How was she supposed to help if he kept on disappearing like some damn Houdini?

"Kevin!" Gwen called out, beating back the panic. He had probably found a good spot to rest, somewhere out of sight in case anyone came by.

"Yeah?" His sleepy voice answered back. A sigh of relief escaped Gwen's lips.

Kevin appeared from the middle of a stack of boxes, which he had arranged into a small fort in a corner of the warehouse. He landed heavily on the ground. His eyes fell on the bags Gwen was carrying.

"Food!" His eyes brightened; whatever irritation he had been feeling about being woken up disappearing with the sight and smell of breakfast. "What'd you bring?"

Gwen laughed at his eagerness. "I brought burgers, fruit, and canned food. And some medical supplies to patch you up." Her eyes skimmed over the variety of bruises, lashes, and cuts covering his body.

He grimaced. "I guess that means you'll be using the stinging stuff." She nodded. The grimace deepened for a moment before he shrugged. "You know, I've been okay with not being treated for several years now. A few more ignored cuts won't make a difference."

Gwen scowled, "I'm not letting them go untreated. Now sit down. You can eat after I've looked them over." She set down the bags.

"None of them are serious." Kevin replied nonchalantly. "Speaking of wounds, how's your arm?"

Gwen glanced at the arm which had been scratched. She had cleaned and bandaged it, delighted to see that the scratch hadn't warranted stitches. It still hurt, but the bleeding had stopped. "It's fine. It wasn't as deep as I thought it would be."

"That's good." Kevin looked down at the bag containing food. "Can I eat now?"

She rolled her eyes. "After I look you over and treat anything that needs it." As he opened his mouth to launch another complaint, she added, "And don't bother arguing. You're just going to have to go longer without food if you keep at it."

"Cruelty." Kevin shook his head. "I never thought I'd live in a world where my savior would let me starve."

"Let it go, Kevin." Gwen replied. She ran her eyes over his body. There were some nasty-looking, deep wounds on his chest. Some looked to be the work of Zombozo's whip, but several others looked like the work of the shadowy felines they had fought. There were older cuts on his skin along with old burns that she could do nothing about.

She pulled the medical kit out from a bag and rifled through its contents until she found the antiseptic cream.

"This is going to sting a bit." Gwen warned Kevin as she squeezed some of the ointment out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." He sounded gloomy like a teenager trying to cover up his childish poutiness over not getting what he wanted.

Gwen pressed the cream to his red skin, rubbing it in with circular motions. His chest drew in harshly at first, but he made no other signs of being bothered by the antiseptic cream. Instead he just stared distantly at the wall, his tail waving slightly.

_He's so warm… _The thought passed Gwen's mind casually at first, but the realization of how close she was and how she was touching his bare skin hit her much harder. Gwen's cheeks instantly reddened as she worked to push away the embarrassment. She was just treating his wounds. Nothing else. _Focus, Gwen. _She chided herself as she moved on to his back.

His back was similarly injured except with more whip lashes. She squeezed another dab of antiseptic cream into her hand and then began massaging the cream into his wounds. They both remained silent; an arrangement that suited Gwen perfectly as she worked to concentrate on the injuries.

Gwen's embarrassment had fallen to the back of her mind as she finished. There was nothing sexual about patching someone up after they had been injured so grievously and anyway there wasn't anything between her and Kevin.

"Done." Gwen announced with satisfaction. She tossed the nearly empty bottle of cream back into the medical kit and walked around to Kevin's front.

He opened eyes that had been closed sometime throughout the whole process. What might have been a content smile, blissful even, rapidly disappeared as he grinned. "Alright, time to eat!"

"Is that all you think about?" Gwen asked with a laugh as she handed him the bag of food.

"Among other things." Kevin replied ambiguously. He withdrew a burger from the bag and quickly tore through the wrapping. After taking one bite, he closed his eyes and sighed, chewing the warm food slowly. "Mhmm, this is much better than the crap Zombozo fed me."

Gwen smiled at him and sat back against one of the cargo boxes. "What did he feed you?"

Swallowing, Kevin said, "Leftovers, some sorta porridge, raw meat." His face wrinkled in repulsion.

"Raw meat?" Gwen's face blanched.

He raised his fiery arm. "I would roast it. It still wasn't too good, but better than just eating it plain raw. I suppose being stuck in a mutant body had its perks in that hell." Kevin paused, eyes dropping.

Before Gwen could reassure him that she would do everything possible to return him to his human body, he changed the subject back, "This is much better." Then he took a bite of the burger.

"What else did Zombozo do?" Gwen asked.

"Lotsa stuff." Kevin shrugged. He was trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing, but there was a troubled gleam in his eyes and a slight frown on his face. Momentarily the nearly finished burger was forgotten before Kevin shook himself out of his reverie and polished it off.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

Gwen didn't want to push Kevin about it. She guessed that his ordeals at Cirque du Monstre had left large scars in the boy's mind and she didn't want to upset him. Although she did think talking would make him feel better.

Kevin shook his head. "It was bad stuff. He never went too far because he didn't want to damage me beyond performance but he liked to push it." Kevin paused to grab another burger. "He mostly tortured me when I tried escaping or talked back to him. But sometimes he'd just do it for the hell of it, because he hated my guts or because he was angry and needed to take it out. He's a twisted bastard."

Even now, his tone was layered heavily with nonchalance and anger. It was hard to distinguish anything else, but Gwen thought she could detect something else in his voice. Fear, maybe? Or a trauma that wouldn't go away anytime soon? Whatever it was, Kevin was doing his best to hide it.

"And no one tried to help you?" Gwen asked, thinking back to the Pyronite boy. Surely a kid couldn't be cruel enough to let it pass by.

"No." Kevin shook his head, eyes narrowing at the shadows of the past. His eyes jumped to Gwen and then his voice softened, "Until you came along."

They drifted into silence; the only sounds were Kevin sinking his teeth into a succulent burger. His eyes now stared solidly at the ground while hers, after some pointless roaming around the room, stuck to him. The room had become uncomfortably warm and Gwen decided that she needed to say something.

"Last night we promised we'd swap stories about life since New York." When he didn't respond immediately, Gwen continued, "I can start."

Kevin brought his eyes up to scrutinize her before nodding, "Go ahead. I'll eat."

"Well…" Gwen's voice faltered. So much had happened since she had seen him, some of it important, some of it significantly less so. Nonetheless, it was hard to even think about filtering through her life's events. Memories ran through her mind haphazardly.

"How 'bout your powers? The change from lots of verbal spells to magenta energy with only the occasional spell?" Kevin chipped in before taking another bite of his burger.

Gwen nodded gratefully for the prompt and began, "Well, my powers changed a few years ago." She smiled slightly at the memory, "First it was almost like doing spells except silent. And then I didn't even need to think about the words, the mana just came to me when I wanted it." Magenta mana encircled Gwen's arm before dissipating. "The complex spells still need words, but otherwise it's just about calling the energy forward."

"Mana?" Kevin sounded out the word. "You don't call it magic anymore?" Both an observation and a question.

"I'm getting there… About a year ago, my grandmother arrived in town." Gwen grimaced at the memory. Even though she had come to like her grandmother, it hadn't started as a good relationship and it had almost turned into a bad one. "She had sensed power here while passing by. My grandma, Verdona, is an Anodite."

"What?" Kevin blinked. He had momentarily stopped eating, enthralled by the tale. "Ano… What?"

"Anodites are energy beings. Aliens. You know about aliens, right?" Kevin nodded. She put that on the list of questions to ask him about – how had he learned about them? The cirque? "Okay, well, she came to Earth a long time ago and fell in love with my grandpa. They had kids who had kids, one of which was me. And I got her powers."

"Still confused about the mana-magic thing. You're still using spells, but you've got the pink powers too. So is there a difference between the two?"

"Well, she told me that Anodites manipulate mana. Mana, life energy, forms the basis of magic and because I'm part Anodite and have a link to it, I can do things that normal sorcerers wouldn't be able to do without saying an incantation." Gwen explained. "I can use raw mana easily too, but sorcerers without an affinity for it have to be very powerful to use it."

"Okay, so what happened next?" Kevin, noticing that he had neglected his burger, quickly chomped it down and then grabbed another from the bag.

"She asked me to go train with her on Anodyne, but I refused."

"Why?" Kevin cocked his head. "I'm glad you stayed and all, but why not go? It could've been interesting to learn more about your powers."

Gwen smiled, "I didn't want to leave Earth or my family behind and it would've been eighty years before I could build myself a good human body again." Seeing Kevin's confusion, she added, "Anodites can take different forms, but they can shed them like snake skin too. Their real forms are made entirely of mana."

"I'm not sure whether that's disgusting or cool." Kevin remarked as he finished his final burger.

"A combination." Gwen paused in her story, momentarily recalling the battle that had taken place between her and her grandmother and how close she had been to having her humanity torn away. Her grandmother had come so close to simply tearing it away by force though Gwen had convinced her otherwise. "Grandma left after that though she likes to remind me very once in a while about what I'm missing out on."

"And... Do you think you're missing out on anything? Do you ever wonder what would happen if you just went?" Kevin asked cautiously, eyes looking at the fascinating floor arrangement – solid gray concrete – instead of her.

Gwen looked down at her hands. No one had asked her this question before. They had always stuck with asking her if she was certain about her decision. And she was. She was dead sure that staying on Earth was the best choice, but that didn't mean little doubts or fantasies didn't creep around in her mind. With Kevin, Gwen didn't think the usual answer of 'I like Earth and I'm glad I stayed' would suffice. He seemed to want a better explanation than that, a truer representation of her.

She looked back at him. "Well, it'd be nice to know how to use my powers and I've daydreamed more than once about what it would be like to live on another planet, a planet of energy beings. I'd become a lot more powerful, I'd learn so many things about myself, and then I'd be able to help a lot more people…"

Realizing she was starting to drift off, she continued, "But I like this world. I like the people, well most of them," they both chuckled, "I like swimming and doing Taekwondo and reading and lying on the roof, watching the stars and…" Kevin was watching her closely, causing a blushing Gwen to cut herself off, "I'm sorry, I'm babbling."

"No, it's okay." Kevin shook his head. He looked away and then looked back at her. "It's… nice to just sit here and listen to someone. Been a while since I had a nice conversation."

Gwen smiled at him. "Then I'm glad. I had a good time too." Her eyes fell to her watch and she quickly stood up. "Oh, but I need to go. I promised my mom I'd help her clean the house."

"Well, go on." Kevin's voice was quiet and withdrawn. He nodded his head towards the entrance. "You know where to go."

"Bye, Kevin. I'll come by tomorrow." Gwen smiled at him and then hurried out the door.

She was already running late though she hadn't realized how much time had passed until looking at her watch. Inwardly she marveled at how quickly time had gone by with Kevin. It had felt so fast as if she could've gone on sitting there, just talking, for hours and hours. It was a pleasant feeling, but Gwen couldn't fully appreciate it as her mother's request took up her mind and pushed the conversation to the back of her mind.

* * *

The rest of the day passed at a much slower pace. First, Gwen spent the rest of the afternoon helping her mother with the summer cleaning. She dusted, vacuumed, and thought about Kevin and what she could do to help his condition and whether he would ever confide in her. Then she poured over a spellbook for help, but it didn't offer anything useful.

For dinner, Gwen went to an Italian restaurant with Michael where they enjoyed two different dishes of pasta. Despite her honest enjoyment during the date, she constantly found herself drifting off to think about Kevin again. After the dinner, Michael drove her home.

Michael parked his car on the sidewalk by Gwen's house. He quickly slid out and got her car door for her, ever the charming gentleman. With a toothy smile, he asked, "So, how was dinner?"

"Perfect," Gwen replied as she got out.

"I'm glad to hear it, lovely Gwen." His smile fell, "Though I thought you seemed a bit distracted."

"I wasn't distracted." Gwen lied, briefly glancing away from Michael to the nearest streetlight.

Kevin had weighed heavily on her mind throughout the entire date. She had thought about their encounter in the morning. She had thought about the torture he had gone through at the cirque. But most of all, she had worried about his safety. Had Zombozo found him yet or had he skipped town? The tents were down, but maybe the wicked clown was simply hiding in the shadows, biding his time before he sprung like a shark from the deep. Gwen shivered at the thought.

"You're cold." Michael placed his warm palms on her exposed arms and pulled her close to him. She leaned into him, deciding it was best that he think she was cold rather than frightened as the latter just led to questions.

"I should get inside." Gwen murmured, starting to pull away. She still had time to look through her books.

"Not without kissing me." Michael's grip tightened slightly, not enough to hurt but just enough to keep her there.

She smiled before leaning in to kiss him. They kissed briefly, his hands steady on her arms, right above the elbow. The usual pulse of excitement, so similar to an electrical shock, rushed through her. When she pulled away, her head was slightly dizzy. She chalked it up to the little sleep she had gotten the night before and then started to rethink doing any more research.

"I better get inside. Truthfully, I'm feeling tired."

"Then get plenty of rest." Michael kissed her forehead. "Good-bye, lovely Gwen. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Michael." Gwen responded with an affectionate smile.

She went up to her bedroom and dropped into her bed's warm embrace without changing out of her clothes or reading any books. They would be there tomorrow and try as she might, her eyes refused to stay open.

* * *

The small, scarlet tent was festooned with several glowing orbs. A long table took up most of the tent's available room. Folding chairs, cushioned for comfort, surrounded the table's long sides. At one end, a large, ornate chair decorated with swirling patterns was waiting for its owner.

Every other chair was already full, each one taken by one of the circus performers (although not every performer was present). Acid Breath, a mask fixated over his mouth to avoid filling the small space with fumes, sat impatiently in his chair. Frightwig was similarly scowling. Thumbskull's knees were above the table (although not on it – he knew Zombozo hated that), his bulk having been rudely squashed into the chair's small confinement. Charmcaster sat, cross-legged, by Zombozo's right side. Dr. Animo, not a performer but the cirque's supplier of bizarre beasts, sat at Zombozo's left side. Several other performers sat, waiting and making light chitchat.

"Ah! We can start now!" Zombozo entered the room, nodding his head at everyone. Immediately all were silent. He sat down in his chair and peered around at the faces. "I suppose you all know what this little meeting's about."

The performers carefully gauged Zombozo's mood. His smile was wide and he was playing friendly with his nods and cheerful attitude. But underneath that, there was likely a dark, stormy cloud of anger that could burst at any moment and unleash unforgiving torrents of rain. The trick was not releasing that.

"Rightio, it's about the escaped monster." Zombozo's eyes glinted and for a second, everyone held their breath. Then, when he continued on cheerily, they released it silently. "He got out, the cage has been completely demolished, and we have reason to believe there's a sorcerer aiding him." The last part was directed at Charmcaster who nodded. "Now, anyone have any suggestions to catch him?"

The only sound in the room was Thumbskull's incessant shuffling as he tried to fit better in his seat. No one would look at Zombozo; for fear that once they had looked into his predatory eyes, they would be forever trapped until he decided to release them. Like a cobra's prey.

"No ideas." Zombozo frowned. "I'm ashamed of you lot. I thought you were a creative bunch." The clown leaned back in his seat, a smile popping on to his face as quickly as a gunshot. "But I guess that's why I'm boss.

"Our first concern is finding the beast. Charm tells me that he's still within Bellwood, or at least he was when his sorcerer pal teleported him."

Sounds of a struggle came from outside the tent, interrupting the clown's speech. "Hey, hey, I can walk on my own, thank you very much!"

Zombozo grinned. "That would be our guest. He's going to be our tracker. Or our throw-rug, we'll have to see which option he likes more."

A moment later, a rat-like creature was unceremoniously shoved into the room. He pushed himself off the ground and dusted off his orange jacket. "What's a guy gotta do to get a bit of respect 'round here?" He snorted indignantly.

"Argit." Zombozo nodded at the rat. "I'm glad to have you here."

"Yeah, sure." Argit replied with a roll of his eyes. He gazed around at the surrounded performers before crossing his arms. "So, what'd ya call me for?" Despite his nonchalant attitude, his quills were raised like the hackles of a cornered canine.

Zombozo leaned forward, elbows on the table and hands clasped under his chin. "Remember Kevin?"

Argit's whiskers twitched uncomfortably. He sensed trouble. Trouble and a profit, which was the only thing keeping him from bolting out the door. "Yeah, I remember him. Why? He givin' you too much trouble? I don't do refunds."

Zombozo ignored the rat. "Well, you see, we've got a small problem. He got out and now we need you to find him."

"And what makes you think I'll help?"

"Well, we've got some gold lying around." Zombozo leaned back, withdrawing a golden coin from his sleeve. The light bounced off it and then the coin disappeared into his sleeve once more. "And I'm in need of some new rugs. My old one's getting a bit ratty." He cackled.

Argit resisted shivering. He replied, without so much as shakiness, "Well, I suppose I can help for enough money."

"Good, good. We need him back promptly, so we can leave this little town." Zombozo waved his hand dismissively. "Now go before I get bored."

"Of course," Argit responded rapidly. He turned around and scampered a bit away before glancing back, "I might need a bit of an incentive before I go…" He smiled greedily.

"Very well. Charmcaster, help the rat out." Zombozo grinned, instantly making Argit wish that he had kept his mouth shut and just left like a good, little rat.

"With pleasure. _Fulmen_," Charmcaster recited. A small bolt of lightning shot from her extended finger, striking Argit in the chest.

The rat fell off his feet. He rubbed his chest indignantly. "Ow, haven't you heard of not damaging your friends?"

"You can still run. Now go on unless you want some more sparks in your life." Zombozo smirked.

"I'm going." This time, Argit hurried out of the tent without pause.

Zombozo waited a few moments before turning to his left, "Aloysius, I need a creature from you."

The scientist nodded. "Very well, I can –"

"A special one." Zombozo continued as if Dr. Animo hadn't said a word. "It needs to be stronger than anything else you've ever made for me. Understood?"

Dr. Animo stared at the clown and then inclined his head. "I'll get right to it."

"Good, good." Zombozo leaned back in his chair, plopping his feet up on the table. "Any questions, folks?"

Thumbskull raised his hand and asked, "What do we tell the other performers? Like Alan?"

Zombozo smiled. "A good question." Thumbskull puffed up slightly at the praise. "Tell them we're hunting a dangerous monster. He's a threat to humanity. We're just doing the world a favor by getting him back. Something like that. Be creative, but remember, we're the good guys!" He clapped his hands. "Alrightie, everyone, break!"

This set Zombozo off into a cackling fest. Oh yes, he was coming for Kevin and he was going to take the monster back into his clutches and that beast would feel a world of pain. And Kevin's sorcerer friend would feel even more wrath. He or she would break like a delicate glass vase.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was really hard for me to write, partly because I wanted the conversation between Kevin and Gwen to show a growing connection between the two and partly because I was just so damn uninspired. This chapter was shorter than the last, but I have come to like it and I hope you will too. I especially like the last interaction between Zombozo and everyone else (especially Argit – I love writing the little rat because he's such a fun, arrogant scumbag). The next chapter will feature more action, some backstory, and Ben, so look forwards to that. Reviews are greatly appreciated. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon**


	6. The Man and the Monster

**Author's Notes: Thank you for all the fabulous reviews! I can't believe I've passed the 50-review mark and I'm only beginning chapter six. Reading your reviews has been a real joy so far and I hope you continue to give me your feedback. Also, I think I'm going to go out and celebrate getting this chapter out on time! **

**Warning for this chapter: There will be brutal violence ahead accompanied by strong language. I don't think it's anything too bad, but I'm going to play it safe and warn all of you anyway. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I don't own the quote at the beginning. **

"_You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no result."  
_- Mahatma Gandhi

_**Chapter 6: The Man and the Monster**_

"You really think this will work?" Kevin asked, skepticism clear in his tone.

Gwen paused from where she was setting up candles. "Not a hundred percent positive, but it's worth a shot." She smiled at him, a smile he returned although hesitantly. Then she returned to placing the candles in a specific formation. "Anyway, it can't make things worse."

"Got that right," Kevin muttered under his breath. It went unnoticed by Gwen who had just finished placing the unlit candles in position.

"Everything's all set up. You just need to get into the circle and then I'll light the candles."

In the center of the warehouse, Gwen had drawn a magic circle with chalk. The magic circle consisted of two concentric circles. Between the two, runes were inscribed as dictated by the magic book lying on the floor. In the center, there was a pentacle. Four candles were placed around the outer circle's edge, each one at a cardinal direction.

"Okay." Kevin stepped into the circle, being wary not to knock over any of the candles. He looked down at the magical symbols beneath his feet and then up at Gwen. "I thought all this magical ritual stuff was fake."

"It's real." Gwen replied as she lit the candles. "Magic circles are used for protection when summoning or as an aid to focus magical energy. In this case, the latter." Gwen lit the final candle. "Now stay quiet."

Kevin clamped his jaw shut. Despite his skepticism about the whole thing, anticipation brewed in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help from swishing his tail through the air, an action he did carefully so as not to knock over the southern candle.

Gwen sat down lotus-style in front of the book. She closed her eyes for a moment, simply concentrating her energies. The book and the girl levitated up in the air. Finally Gwen opened her eyes, which were glowing a bright magenta, and she began to recite,

"_Animae, septentrionis, austri, occidentis, orientis. _

_Vos huic corpi anathemati videre obsecro._

_Dolorem et miseriam videtis. _

_Verte eum in quid is quondam erat. _

_Submove pestis!_"

The chalk circle glowed a bright magenta akin to Gwen's eyes. The flames of the candles lengthened in height, flickering and wavering in a hypnotic dance to Gwen's words. Kevin felt the energy wash over him and for a brief moment, he could almost see his body shrinking and his extra limbs disappearing forever. Light engulfed him and he could see nothing except for the blinding magenta pink.

Then it was over. Gwen blinked, lowering herself to the floor. She felt weary, but not as exhausted as she had thought she would be. Certainly it would've taken more energy to change him back to his human form. Gwen looked at the circle, which was finally losing its energy, allowing her to see in.

And what she saw was Kevin, exactly as she had seen him a few minutes ago. Her heart plummeted. Everything had been perfect: the cardinal directions, the runes, the words, the _magic _as it ran through her body. But it hadn't worked.

Kevin blinked, his eyes adjusting to the darker warehouse. The first thing he noticed was that he was still the same height as before and that he could still feel all the extra limbs. A strangled howl ripped from his throat, reverberating through the silent warehouse.

Gwen watched him. She hastily wiped away the tears that were beginning to fill her vision. No, she couldn't cry because she had failed. She had to think logically. Either something had gone wrong or the spell hadn't been fit to fix something like this.

"I'm sorry, Kevin." Her words were soft, but he still managed to hear them.

He glared at the sound of her voice, anger filling him up like a hot-air balloon. How could she fail? How could she raise his hopes like that and then crush them? Like this was all just some game for her? In the end, she was just like the other bastards of the world, out to get him. He took a step, every inch of him intending to take it all out on her.

But then all that rage evaporated as he saw her pitiful position. She sat on the ground, her back bent and her body shaking slightly. Her eyes were on the ground, shut against the world. Guilt took fury's place. How could he ever be angry at someone who was trying to help him? Who had shown him nothing but care all this time? And who was now so obviously distraught over having failed?

Maybe he was a monster. How else could he have felt all that hate for someone who had done so much to help him? A monster, yes, that was the only explanation.

Gwen whispered, "I thought it would work." She opened her eyes, trying to shove back the crushing weight of failure that had descended on her shoulders. It was hard like trying to lift an anvil off.

"It's alright." Kevin answered. He walked over to her and then knelt down beside her. "It's not your fault." At least he didn't think so. The magic had all looked good from his end, not that he was a good judge. Anyway, an accident during the process wasn't something that could be blamed on her anyway.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Gwen watched Kevin, not yet daring to lift her eyes directly to his face yet. She evaluated his tone carefully, finding that there was no scorn or anger there. Only comfort.

"Maybe the spell just wasn't meant to undo this. Or," he pressed his mouth shut, not wanting to say the words. However, they came tumbling out anyway because he was bad at keeping his mouth shut, "maybe I'm just meant to stay this way. Maybe there's no way to reverse this and I'll stay a monster forever."

Instantly Gwen's head shot up, her eyes glaring at him. "You're not a monster. Monsters hurt and kill people." She was about to say that he hadn't done either of those things before remembering New York. He had killed then, but it had been for defensive purposes. Quickly she changed tact, "You're not a cold killer."

"How do you know?" He shot back, silencing her. "You don't know everything I've done."

Gwen frowned. "Then tell me, Kevin." She reached out and placed a hand on his smooth, red cheek. For a brief second, they stared into one another's eyes.

Then he jerked away from her, quickly moving several feet away. He hissed, "No." His back was to her now. "Gwen, maybe you should just give up on finding a cure. It's just proving to be a waste of time. I'll live my life like this from now."

"You don't get to tell me what's a waste of my time." Gwen answered angrily. She stood up and strode over to him. "And I don't think you're a monster. I don't care about what you did in the past or how horrible you think you are, but you're not a monster. You don't go around killing people out of bloodlust. You don't play cruel mind-tricks. You're a good person, Kevin, and even though you look like this, you can't brand yourself as evil or monstrous.

"I promise I won't stop looking for a way to help you. Even though this spell didn't work, there are dozens of others that might work. I don't care how long it takes; I'm not giving up."

Kevin was silent for a while and Gwen felt a rising fear that he would simply reject her sentiments. When he turned around, he was smirking, "I don't suppose you'd listen if I told you there were better ways to spend your time."

Gwen smirked back, "Now you're getting it." The smirk faded, buried beneath a serious expression. "I promised that I'd help you return to your human form and I intend to do it even if I have to go through every spell to do it."

"Oh good, I've always wanted to see all sorts of magic rituals." Despite his biting sarcasm, he was wearing a smile and Gwen knew, in her heart, that he was happy that she wasn't giving up on him.

"It would be helpful if you told me how you transformed in the first place. It might help place what we're dealing with and from there, it'll be easier to find a suitable spell."

"It's not much of a story, but you might as well sit down and make yourself comfortable anyway."

Gwen nodded and sat down, her back against one of the large storage containers. Kevin remained standing, his eyes narrowing slightly as he remembered the day he had turned from a freaky human being into an even freakier monster.

"Well, I was at the cirque. I was there against my will because Zombozo had wanted someone that could absorb energy and then he had learned about me."

Gwen asked, "How'd he learn about you?"

Kevin's eyes narrowed even more and a slight, involuntary growl left him. He didn't speak until his jaw had unclenched. "That's not important." It was such an obvious lie that Gwen wanted to call him out, but it was also clear that Kevin had no intention of talking about it. At least not yet, so Gwen held her tongue.

She nodded, "Go on. Why did Zombozo want an energy-absorber?"

"I don't know where or when he got it, but Zombozo had this device. He could tell it was very powerful, some alien tech that no one had ever seen before. But he didn't know what it could do and he had never actually tried it on. Some alien told him it possessed a vast amount of energy, but that once it was put on, it could never be removed, and that it could malfunction at any time." Kevin paused in his story, giving enough time for Gwen to put in a comment.

"So Zombozo never tries to use it because he doesn't want to risk a malfunction that could harm him?" Kevin nodded. Gwen recalled the watch-like device she had seen him use. "This is that watch thing, right?"

Kevin's eyes widened, "You know about it?"

"Not really," Gwen shrugged, "But I did see it when I was eavesdropping. He had it in an orb and he made you touch it." She had previously brushed the orb off as some sort of torture method, but now it appeared as if it was far more important then she had previously imagined.

"Yeah, that's the one." Kevin muttered bitterly, wincing at the memory of his latest encounter with it. "It's called the Omnitrix. It's got a database of aliens and all that energy the alien talked about comes from that. So, Zombozo figured out I can absorb energy and to test his theory, he decides to make me absorb the energy of the watch. Well, I do and it's horrible." Kevin shut his eyes tightly at the remembered pain.

Gwen reached out and placed a hand over his Pyronite arm. He opened his eyes, smiled slightly at the show of care and the reminder that he wasn't in a cage anymore, and continued, "I couldn't stop absorbing it and once I was done, I began to transform. I suppose I took the energy of all that alien DNA and that's why I ended up being a mishmash of aliens. After that, he would make me absorb more energy whenever he wanted to make me hurt." Kevin scowled.

She was silent for a moment, the gears in her mind whirring away. Finally she asked, "Do you think that the energy will just fade away one day and you'll go back to being human?"

Kevin shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe though it'd take a long time… I've gone months without absorbing any energy from the thing and nothing's ever changed."

"Well, I guess we always have that as a fall-back plan." He smiled tentatively at her. She continued, "But that doesn't mean I'll stop searching for a way to turn you back sooner."

* * *

"I'm just saying it's been a while since you've hung out with me. And Plumber business doesn't count." Ben said.

"I'm hanging out with you now," Gwen pointed out, sipping at her smoothie.

They were sitting at a table at Mr. Smoothie's, Ben with a mango-carrot smoothie and Gwen with a berry smoothie. No one was within listening distance of the cousins, but they still spoke in lowered voices, in case anyone decided to eavesdrop and accidentally heard them talking about aliens.

Although she didn't say it, Gwen had to admit to herself that she hadn't been hanging out with Ben much the last past week. She had spent so much time with Kevin and what time hadn't been spent with the mutant had been spent searching through books, going out with Michael, or hunting aliens. Kevin still remained a secret to her other friends and although she kept on telling herself that she would tell them the next day, she continued to procrastinate on the matter. It wasn't very Gwen-like and she couldn't justify it to herself.

"Yeah, but this is the first time in forever." Ben paused and then added, "And you've been really distracted lately. Michael and Julie think so too."

"I've just been busy working on a spell." Gwen answered evasively. She didn't like keeping secrets from Ben, not since they had become friends that summer vacation. But she wasn't sure how she would introduce him to Kevin.

'Hello, this is my friend, Kevin. We met in New York several years ago and now I helped him get free from that circus you dragged me to. He's not as vicious as Zombozo made him seem.' Although Ben wasn't going to be angry about her saving Kevin from a horrible imprisonment, he was going to be angry at her for keeping it secret.

"Spending too much time with books is going to have a negative effect on you, Gwen." Ben replied. "It's going to distance you from other people and then you'll wind up as one of those aging, cranky librarians."

She rolled her eyes. "They're only cranky if you break the rules."

"That's not the point. The point is you're getting distant and even when you do hang out with us, you're never fully there. I'm worried about you." Ben frowned and added, "I just want to know what's up."

Ben's sincere words made Gwen's stomach quake uneasily. She didn't like lying, but she had been forced to do it so many times throughout the week that it was starting to give her guilt-ridden dreams. And, even worse, it was starting to become a habit. There was one way to fix it: tell Ben and Michael about Kevin. It was something Gwen knew she had to do soon.

But not right now. She needed to ascertain Kevin's acceptance of seeing other people first before she brought the boys to meet him.

"Ben, I promise I'll tell you what's been going on." Her cousin smiled at her, but his smile fell somewhat at her next words. "But I need some time."

"How much time?" He asked warily.

"Just a little…" When the vague answer didn't remove Ben's frown, she added, "Tomorrow night. I'll tell you and Michael tomorrow night."

"Promise?"

Gwen nodded, "Promise."

Ben screwed up his face, considering the promise. Then he nodded. "Well, I guess I can accept that."

* * *

Kevin sat quietly, staring at the opposite wall. There was little to do in the warehouse, short of breaking stuff and that had lost its appeal a long time ago. Gwen had offered to bring him books, but he had rejected the offer. She had promised to find him something he'd be able to do in-between her visits, which he had come to yearn for.

Her visits always meant conversation. Sometimes it would be idle chit-chat, sometimes she would talk about her school, sometimes they would exchange childhood stories. He didn't bring up the more painful parts of his past and she didn't pester him about it though he could see the curiosity burning in her eyes. She wanted to know, wanted to help, but Kevin wasn't going to tell. It was painful and some of it Kevin was afraid might scare her off or even make her dislike him.

He didn't like the doubts he felt about how she would feel towards his background. Maybe she could see past the monster, not just the physical features (he knew that she didn't care about that), but the horrors he had done. Maybe she would say it was in the past and then hit him for being ridiculous about it.

Or maybe she would leave, wondering why she had ever helped him. It was that possibility that Kevin didn't want to come true ever and it was for that reason that he kept his mouth shut on the subject.

The door creaked slightly, interrupting his reflection. Instantly Kevin crouched, all of his muscles taut. Waiting. If it had been Gwen, she would've called out to him by now. Kevin peeked over the top of the box he had been sitting behind.

A familiar figure had slipped through the door and was now scanning the room with yellow eyes. A rush of volcano-like rage filled Kevin. The last time he had seen the despicable creature, the creature had been waving money and wishing him luck in his new life.

Not thinking, Kevin leaped over the box and landed with a thump in front of the creature.

"Fuck!" The rat shrieked loudly, jumping back. His quills rose defensively. "What the hell are…" He paused, a smile gluing itself to his face. "Is that you, Kevin? Never looked better, old pal."

"Shut up, Argit!" Kevin growled, baring his menacing Pisccciss Volann teeth. "I don't want to hear anything from you."

"Well, if you don't wanna talk, I guess we'll call it a day." Argit began backing up towards the door, arms raised. "See ya, Kev."

Kevin shook his head, "Not so fast. I said I didn't wanna hear anything from you, but I didn't say anything about me talking." He sped forwards and grabbed Argit by his orange jacket. The rat shrieked as he was thrown into the opposite wall.

"Now," Kevin smirked, "you get a taste of what you put me through." He strode towards the trembling creature.

"Wait, wait, wait, I did what I had to do. It was the smart move, the move that put food in my belly." Argit's arms were raised pathetically in front of his face. "You woulda done the same in my place. Anyone in our situation woulda done it."

He shook his head. "I would never sell out my friends."

"Look, I'm sorry for doing it even if it was the smart choice. I really am, the guilt kept me up for nights. I nearly put a gun to my head and all because I had sold my best friend. Honestly, it was absolute hell."

"You're lying," Kevin yelled at him. "You never cared about anyone but yourself."

"Of course I cared. I even thought you were going into a better life. Yeah," Argit nodded his head, his hands falling to his sides, "I thought you would get regular food and a good shelter. And you did, enough so you didn't starve or freeze to death like you might of on the streets. Just lookin' out for my buddy. That's all I was doing, honest."

"You were makin' a damn profit." He spat the words out. "When I'm through with you, you're going to wish you had never fucked with me."

"But what…"

"I don't wanna hear your fuckin' excuses!" Kevin roared, eyes gleaming with blood-lust. "I'm going to put you through hell and there's not a single fuckin' thing you can do about it."

"What about forgiveness? Mercy? Don't I deserve any of those?"

When he didn't receive an answer, Argit turned around. He shot off several quills, confident that he would be able to make a neat escape and report Kevin's location to Zombozo for a nice sum of money. Then he was out of here, maybe to a nice oasis planet. After all his trials, he certainly deserved some relaxation.

But Argit's fantasy was shattered in the next moment. The quills hit Kevin, but didn't sink into his tough skin. He brushed away the ones that had stuck in partway, snorting as he did so, "Really, Argit? Weak."

With that, Kevin rushed forwards and began to throttle Argit. He sliced at him with his Petrosapien arm, nicking Argit's arm. This was followed by a punch that sent Argit flying into another wall. Using his speed, Kevin rushed to him before Argit had even picked himself off the ground. He grabbed the rat and hurled him into the air. As he fell, Kevin shot off several rounds of crystals. Then as Argit struggled to run away from this monster he had helped create, Kevin came over and began flinging him against walls.

All of Kevin's senses were overloaded with a hot anger. His vision was focused purely on the vile creature; everything else had ceased to matter. There was so much blood, both on his body and on the ground, but he didn't care. Every sensible thought had left his mind; now he was just a monster driven by fury and vengeance. All he wanted to do was make Argit hurt like he had never hurt before and then he would kill him. It would be a slow, torturous death; payback for all those years.

He grabbed Argit by his neck and flew up. Then he threw the rat down with all his force. Bones crunched sickeningly at the impact. Kevin landed next to him and seized him by the ruff of his trench coat. To his pleasant surprise, Argit's chest was still raising and falling.

He held the rat up next to his face and snarled, "You're going to wish you'd never returned."

"I already do," Argit muttered through the haze of pain, only to be shaken by Kevin. He let out a whimper.

"You're going to die a horrible, fucked-up death and no one will give a damn about it." Kevin's arm sharpened to a point.

Seeing it, Argit begged, "Please, Kev, enough. Don't you remember the good ole days? Remember how we stole all that money? You short-circuited the security while I grabbed the goods. We were eatin' good for days after. And then when we raided the arcade? All the free entertainment we wanted? Remember that, old pal?"

"I remember, but you seem to be forgetting an important detail." A growl tore from his throat, making Argit shake. "You fuckin' handed me over, gift wrap and all, to Zombozo. Remember that? Remember selling out your friend?"

"Look, I was desperate. You remember how we were both starving. I needed it and anyway he told me you'd be well-fed. He said –"

"I don't wanna hear it, Argit. I'm going to slice you open and watch your guts slip out of your mangy body." His eyes gleamed with a fury that had been left festering for years.

"Please," Argit trembled in Kevin's hold, but the words had no effect on Kevin who simply pressed the point against Argit's quivering belly.

"We'll do this slowly." Kevin smirked. "Let you feel the pain."

"Kevin! Stop!"

* * *

**A/N: I'm feeling rather cruel today, so I'll stop there. Also, I wanted to get this chapter to you sooner. So you get a nice cliffhanger! **

**So about the spell not working… If you translated the Latin, it would specify that what you're dealing with is a curse. Gwen knew that, but she thought it might work anyway because Kevin's condition is like a curse. But of course, it's not a curse. It's a transformation from absorbing energy from the Omnitrix. So it failed. **

**I like the duality of Kevin in this chapter, which is something I really wanted to express. We get Kevin being human (well, showing humanity in any case) with Gwen and then we get Kevin beating Argit up like the monster he claims to be. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


	7. Be the Bigger Man

**Author's Notes: I know I haven't updated for a long time now and I'm sorry about that. I've got a long list of excuses, but here's the Cliff Notes version… First the AP tests. Then several end-of-the-year projects followed promptly by finals week. After that, I had a few days before I went to Europe for three weeks where I had no Internet the entire time. Finally, this chapter was brutal to write. I had to get it right without going over-the-top. It didn't help that I've had waning motivation in the Ben 10 fandom because there haven't been any new episodes lately (plus, I've recently fallen in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is causing all these new plot bunnies to skitter around my brain).**

**Anyway, I promise I will finish this story and I will try to update more frequently. I've got a busy rest of summer ahead and then an even busier fall (yay, college admissions *sarcastic*), so I apologize if updates take a while but they will come. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. I don't own the quote at the beginning. **

"_The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."  
_- Hubert H. Humphrey

_**Chapter 7: Be the Bigger Man**_

"_Kevin! Stop!" _

Gwen had only been standing there for a few minutes, horror and shock keeping her still. However, as she watched the glittering point approach Argit's quivering body, she shook herself into action.

She ran towards the pair, her mana surrounding her hands. From the bits of conversation she had caught, Gwen knew Argit was responsible for Kevin's imprisonment and her heart burned with a fury she rarely felt. Yet, she couldn't let Kevin do this.

Kevin paused. A light had penetrated the haze of vengeance, but the haze had not dissipated fully. All his nerves still hollered for blood, for the squeals of the rat and the sweet satisfaction of revenge. But that voice stayed his hand.

He looked over at Gwen. How long had she been here? Surely, not long as she wouldn't have sat twiddling her thumbs while he was throwing Argit into the walls. Had she overheard the conversation, learned why he was beating up Argit? He desperately wanted his actions to be justified, for her not to label him a monster for beating up on an _"innocent" _rat.

"This is the 'friend' who sold me out to Zombozo." Kevin explained, shaking Argit's body. The rat had gone still, mouth clamped shut as he calculated the advantage (or disadvantage) the young girl presented.

"I know. I heard."

"Then you know why I need to do it." Satisfied, Kevin pressed the point into Argit's belly, not enough to draw blood but enough so that the rat would be aware of it. He wanted to build the fear first.

"Don't!"

Kevin glanced at her, grouchiness evident in his scowl. "Why not? He deserves it."

"Kevin, you can't kill people no matter how evil they are." A flashback to their previous conversation, back in New York on the same subject, flashed into her mind. Back then, her words had meant little to him, but maybe now he would listen.

"He's not a person."

"Hey, I resent that!" Argit argued, "I may not be human, but I'm –"

"Shut up!" Kevin growled. Argit fell silent, berating himself for ever having opened his mouth in the first place. "You can't just turn him into the police."

So Kevin remembered their previous conversation as well.

"Not the Bellwood police, but we can turn him into the Plumbers." Seeing Kevin's confusion, she explained, "They're space cops."

Kevin's gaze returned to Argit. "And why should we do that? After everything he's done, he deserves something worse than a trial and prison."

"Please, Kevin."

He looked at her and then slowly placed Argit down on the ground. The rat let out a small gasp when his body touched the floor, but made no other sounds or moves. Then Kevin looked back at Gwen.

"Don't call them just yet." Kevin said when Gwen drew her Plumber's badge from her pocket.

She opened her mouth to ask why before pressing her lips together as the realization hit. Kevin still hadn't decided. A part of her wanted to call anyway and protect Argit until the Plumbers arrived, but a different part of her followed Kevin's request. Maybe if he made a move to snuff out Argit's life, she would act. But she would wait for him to decide first. He needed that.

_Come on, Kevin. _

Kevin gave her a half-smile of thanks before dropping his gaze. The sight of Argit stirred the flames of anger within him again, but it wasn't as intense as before. Oh, he definitely still wanted to shoot a stream of fire over Argit's pathetic body. That lust for vengeance hadn't gone away.

But Gwen was here now. He recalled her conviction in his 'goodness'. How she didn't believe he was the monster he was. While he would never admit it to anyone else, he liked that she believed in him. It made him feel like he could be a good person. That he should try to be a good person.

Plus, he didn't want her to see that ugly side.

An inner voice reminded him that she had already seen him kill, back when they had been kids, but he brushed it away. That was then and he sensed that she didn't hold anything from that time against him. This was his time to grow beyond that and as much as every nerve screamed at him to just fire and kill the alien, he wanted to take the other path.

Kevin averted his eyes from Argit. He didn't know how much longer he could look at the rat without losing his resolution. "Call them." He commanded, casting a glance at Gwen.

She smiled at him and pressed the Plumber's badge. There were some murmured words that Kevin didn't attempt to make out.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, ole buddy." Kevin looked down at the sniveling Argit. "I knew you wouldn't do it. You're bigger than that."

His lip drew back in a snarl, stopping Argit's stream of words. "I may be letting you live, but I will never forgive you. And if you don't shut up, I might just change my mind." Argit whimpered and shut his eyes.

"Okay, they'll be here in twenty minutes." Gwen announced, slipping her badge back into her pocket. She glanced at Argit. "Should we tie him up?"

"Nah, I don't think he'll be moving." Though as an added precaution, Kevin kept his eyes on Argit.

"Okay." She replied for lack of anything better to say.

They lapsed into silence. She bit her lip, wanting to tell him he was doing the right thing but not wishing to discuss the topic with the rat-alien so close. Several uncomfortable minutes passed.

"Will they want me to testify?"

Gwen blinked and looked over at Kevin. "Hmm?"

"Will they want me to testify? You know, before they decide how to punish him."

Gwen shook her head. "I don't think so. They've never asked me to testify about any of the other criminals they've locked away."

Kevin let out a sigh of relief. "So… How'd you get involved?"

"With the Plumbers?" He nodded. "My grandpa, Max, is a Plumber. Or was - he's retired now. Mostly." She laughed. "When I was ten, I went on a summer road-trip with him and my cousin Ben. It was normal until we went to a magic convention."

Kevin glanced at her skeptically. "One of those gatherings of second-rate magicians pulling flowers from this sleeves and geeks geeking out over elves and spells? Sounds lame."

Gwen sputtered, "I-i-it's not lame!" She blushed slightly at his unconvinced expression and continued, "But yeah, I guess it was like that. I liked magic… Anyway, it wasn't all fake. There was this weird guy selling actual magical relics. He was out of the way and most people ignored him, but he called me over. He said he'd sensed something special in me and then he gave me a set of charms and a book."

"And you believed him?"

She blushed. "I'd always been drawn to magic, so yeah, it was a bit flattering to hear him say that I had magical potential. Ben thought I was stupid for believing him… until I read from the book and made him levitate a few inches from the floor."

Kevin chuckled, imagining a spluttering red-headed boy hovering in the air. Or maybe he wasn't a redhead. Since he had never seen her cousin, he couldn't really assign a look to him, could he?

"So, how does this get to the Plumbers?" Kevin asked, noticing that Gwen had drifted off into thoughtful reminiscence.

"Grandpa warned me to be careful with the magic, but I didn't listen. Well, I stopped reading randomly from the book, but I didn't stop completely. And I started using magic to help people out, like if I saw a bank robbery or something similar. Then a sorcerer named Hex came and tried to take the charms to perform some magical ritual. We only managed to stop him because Grandpa had some weaponry to combat him. I ended up destroying the charms.

"After that, Grandpa told Ben and me about the Plumbers, aliens, and everything else. We met a few aliens on our road-trip, which we fought with Grandpa's weapons and my magic. Eventually Ben and I were honored by the Plumbers and a few years later, we became members."

"Wow… So you've been hunting aliens down since then." She nodded. "Is that your job?"

"Not officially. I mean I still go to school… I just fight aliens and patrol the neighborhood almost every night to make sure no aliens have touched down."

"And your cousin? Does he help?"

"Yes, Ben helps though he doesn't have any powers. Just some good combat skills. Another guy named Michael's a part of the team. He's got his own set of powers from his alien heritage."

Kevin's eyes dropped to the ground. A thought had occurred to him and it was bothering him. "Do they know?"

Gwen shook her head. "No… I haven't told them yet." She scrutinized Kevin closely to see his reaction before continuing, "I've been waiting to see whether or not you'd want them to know." A silent question hung in the air between them.

Kevin looked away again. His eyes fell on Argit's prone form. He knew she was asking for his permission. He knew that she wouldn't tell anyone about him until he gave the go-ahead. But he could also detect from her tone that she hated keeping this from her team.

Her team… The words caused a surge of emotions to run through him. The dominant one, he realized with surprise, was envy. He wanted to be a part of her team. Sure, it was great, having this time with her in the warehouse, but to be her teammate… To help her fight, it was a pleasant thought.

There was only one way he could ever do that: meet her current teammates and join that team. No more hiding. No more sitting around for hours on end, waiting for her to return. Then reality reasserted itself.

What would they think of him? He was a monster or at least he looked like one; he probably looked a lot closer to what they fought than what they helped. What if they thought Gwen was foolish for helping him? What if they convinced her to stop helping?

No, his mind protested. She would never abandon him. They were friends, she was too good a person, she liked him… But was it enough to stand against the opinions of her cousin and this mystery boy?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. It was enough because she was a good person who didn't follow along with what others told her unless it was actually the right thing to do.

Of course he still had to hide (he had been foolish to even think about going out into the real world before regaining a human form), but he could certainly help. He could go out at night to help her on patrols. He could fight. He was strong. He could be of use and stop sitting around idly, waiting for a cure that might never come.

A beep cut off his thoughts just as he had built up the resolve to let her know she could tell her team.

"They're outside." Gwen explained. "I can take Argit over while you stay here."

"It's okay. I'll come with you." If he was going to meet her team, he was going to have to face the arrest squad sometime. Anyway, better that they see him than hear about him from Argit.

Gwen blinked in surprise before smiling. She led the way while he stopped to pick Argit up. The rat dangled loosely in his grip.

When they got outside, Kevin closed his eyes against the bright afternoon sun. A smile curled on to his face. It had been a while since he had gone outside, even longer since he had been outside during the day.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked, putting a hand on Kevin's arm.

"Yeah." He opened his eyes, squinting at the light. "Just basking."

She smiled and nodded her head in understanding.

A small cruiser stood ahead of them. A green alien wearing white, metallic armor waited next to it, holding a pair of cuffs. He looked between the girl, the hulking monster by her, and the limp creature in the monster's hands. His hand drifted down to his holstered gun, but didn't draw it.

"Hello." Gwen greeted him, showing him her badge.

"Plumber Gwen." The Plumber nodded. His eyes focused on the other two. "I recognize the rat. He's a well-known, small-time criminal. But who's the big guy?"

"This is Kevin. He's helping me."

Kevin stared coolly back at the Plumber. He didn't know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. After a moment, the Plumber nodded his head.

"Alright. Hand Argit over."

As soon as Kevin gave Argit over, the rat said, "He's psychotic. Do you see what condition I'm in? He nearly tore me apart! And you know what, he was having _fun_. Now I know I'm not a good citizen, but this guy is pure evil. He needs –"

"Shut up!" Gwen's eyes were glowing. "Kevin's a good guy, better than you. You have no right to call him evil after everything you've put him through."

Argit seemed to shrink at the ferocity of her voice. Kevin watched Gwen, feeling a mixture of awe and gratefulness. She really believed in him even after she had witnessed his violent side. It filled him with confidence, backing up his earlier resolution.

Gwen's eyes returned to normal and she flashed an apologetic smile at the Plumber. "Don't listen to what he has to say about Kevin. Kevin's a big help around here."

The Plumber looked uncertainly at Kevin before shrugging, "Well, I'm just here to collect the prisoner." He fastened the cuffs to Argit. "I'll be going now."

He walked off to his ship, tugging Argit along. The rat stumbled after, so that eventually the Plumber just hoisted him up on to his shoulder and hurried up the rest of the way. The ship's door closed and then it was off, taking Argit away to the authorities who would decide his sentencing.

Kevin sighed. After years of swearing to kill Argit when he got out, he had received his chance. And he had let it go. It was going further and further from him as the engines propelled the ship into deep space. Soon he couldn't even see a speck in the sky to indicate the ship's progress.

_He slipped away again… _Except he hadn't slipped away, Kevin mused. He had beaten up Argit and then he had let Argit be flown away to face whatever punishment awaited him. Sure, it wasn't the same as sending him through death's veil, but it was something.

A hand rested on his Petrosapien arm. Although he could barely feel it through the crystal, he knew it was there. He glanced down at Gwen.

"I'm proud of you."

Kevin snorted and looked away, "Yeah, well, killing him would've been letting him off easy." The hand left his shoulder and he instantly regretted the joke. Why did he almost always feel the need to cover up his actual feelings?

"You know, I still hate him." He admitted, glancing to see her watching him closely. "A part of me still wants to rip him limb from limb and I'll never be able to forgive him."

"You don't have to."

"But…" Kevin paused. "I think it's okay that the Plumbers are dealing with him. It would've torn me up before to know that someone else was punishing him, but I think it's gonna be okay."

She smiled. "It won't haunt you anymore?"

"No, it won't." He sighed suddenly, bringing her to look at him with a frown. "You probably wanna know what happened with Argit."

"I got that he betrayed you. If you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

Kevin considered her proposal. He didn't like talking about his past, but it wasn't as if she didn't know he had done some bad things. At this point, he was certain that she wouldn't run if he told her a few more things. Anyway, it might help to get it off his chest. Maybe not absolutely everything – he wasn't ready to talk about his parents – but he could talk about Argit.

"We met a few months after I met you. Argit was lookin' for someone to help him out with a heist, I was lookin' for cash. He didn't think I could help him, but then I showed him my powers and he decided I was as good as anybody."

Kevin had stopped looking at Gwen. Although he had decided to tell her about his past with Argit, he couldn't bear to face her, thinking of all the crimes the duo had pulled. It was comforting that she stood quietly, simply listening.

"We managed to steal quite a lot of money that time and so we decided to do it again. And again and again. Sometimes we stole other things, sometimes we failed, but the money never lasted long. I think Argit blew most of it though I don't know on what." He added with a laugh, "Maybe paying people off.

"It wasn't easy. We didn't always have food or shelter, but it never got too bad." Kevin frowned. "We took care of each other and it was alright. We had fun sometimes, enough so that I thought he was my friend.

"Then he told me about this big plan where we'd end up richer than we'd ever been. I went along with him and it turned out to be a trap. The circus troop jumped me and started fighting. I yelled at Argit to help, but he just stood there, countin' his cash, as I was tied up. That's the last I saw of him until today."

"I'm sorry." Gwen told him when he fell silent.

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I'm sorry that he betrayed you like that."

"He's paying for it now." Kevin muttered.

"And you're standing here with a friend who'll never betray you."

He looked down at her, his heart-rate picking up. She noticed his gaze and returned it with a smile. Kevin wanted to tell her how much that meant to him, how much he cared about her as well. But the words stuck in his throat and he settled for just smiling back and conveying his gratefulness through his eyes.

The rage was still there, gnawing unhappily at him. But now there were other things. Nice things like knowing someone cared for him and that he cared back. As he ran the conversation through his head, he remembered her introduction of him to the Plumber.

"I want to help."

"Hmm?"

"I want to help." He took a deep breath and then barreled on, "I want to meet your cousin and friend and then I want to help you fight… Is that okay?"

Gwen smiled. "Of course it is!"

She wrapped her arms around him. He stood, unmoving for a moment, before returning the hug. His eyes closed and he reveled in the close contact with another human being.

Once the hug ended, Gwen stood back and confessed, "I've wanted to tell them for a while now, but I didn't know if you'd want to meet other people yet."

"Well, I'm ready. So long as they're not circus freaks, I think we'll get along."

Gwen laughed. "I always told Ben he belonged among the circus freaks, but don't worry. He's terrified of clowns."

"Clowns suck."

Still chuckling, Gwen said, "I'll bring the two of them over tomorrow night."

"Good."

With that arranged, the two headed back inside and spent the rest of the afternoon talking; Gwen relating stories about her battles and Kevin making jokes.

* * *

"Where should we go tonight?" Michael asked as he drove the car. "I was thinking we should start with the west side and then work our way out into the forest before making a loop back to town."

"Actually, I was wondering if we could go somewhere else first."

Ben and Michael both looked over at Gwen with interest. They had both noticed her strange behavior and both were eager to figure out what had her so distracted.

"Is this about the thing you haven't been telling us about?" Ben guessed, recalling their conversation yesterday.

Gwen nodded her head.

"Where to?"

"The old mannequin warehouse," Gwen answered.

Michael raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but changed lanes and made a right to head in the warehouse's direction. Everyone knew about the warehouse though people rarely went there, either because it was too far or because it wasn't safe enough.

"What's there?" Ben leaned forward.

"You'll see." Gwen smiled reassuringly at him.

Inside she was feeling nervous about introducing Ben and Michael to Kevin. She didn't know what their initial reactions would be to him or what they would think about her decision to keep him hidden for so long. At least she knew Kevin was on-board for meeting new people.

It was a huge comfort to her that he wanted to go out and do something. Although he was limited to when and where he went, it would be better for him. She didn't know how he spent the majority of his time, but anything, besides being back at the cirque, had to be better than being cooped up in the warehouse.

Anyway, he'd probably enjoy more company. She wondered briefly if he would start to prefer Ben and Michael's company over hers (they were guys, after all) before banishing the thought. Whatever friendships formed between him and the guys, she knew in her heart that they would always be good friends. No matter what other people he met and befriended.

"We're here." Michael announced, pulling the car to a stop. "Now let's see what you've been hiding."

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... Did that last line of Michael's come out dark or is it just me?**

**Please take some time to review. Hopefully the next chapter will come faster than this one did. **

**Twilight Phantom Dragon **


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